A PLUCKY pensioner has marked his 70th birthday by swimming 80 lengths of the Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool to raise cash for the pool which he claims has given him a new lease of life.

 

Stan, who suffers with crippling arthritis, was originally planning on swimming 70 lengths but managed to get in an extra 10 for good measure.

 

“It went very well indeed,” said a proud Stan, who lives in Moredon.

 

“Everybody thanked me for what I’d done but I was equally keen to thank them for everything they have done for me.”

 

For the past 10 years, Stan has been a regular user of the Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool in Jefferies Road, which uses the healing qualities of water to help relieve painful conditions.

 

Without it, he admits, he would be lost.

 

“It has done me the world of good,” he said. “At first, I couldn’t swim from one side of the pool to the other because my joints were so painful. But one width became two widths, which then became three, and I carried on from there.”

 

Stan spent 30 years of his working life in the building trade, taking on a variety of labouring jobs, which over time have taken their toll on his joints.

 

He did the charity swim, in which he managed to raise a very impressive £1,200 for the pool – and he is still expecting more donations to come in – on Sunday, June 25 in front of cheering spectators.

 

He said: “I didn’t take into account the heat factor with the building being so warm. I wanted to go for an hour but I couldn’t quite make it.

 

“It took about 40 minutes in total. I would have done 100 lengths if it hadn’t have been so warm, but during that extra 10 I was feeling myself getting weaker and weaker.

 

“But everybody cheered me on and I got a huge round of applause at the end.”

 

The Thamesdown facility, which has been open since 1979, costs around £140,000 to run each year and employs four first aid trained members of staff.

 

The 13m x 6m pool is kept at a constant 34 degrees to aid with hydrotherapy treatment.

 

Stan added: “The pool staff, committee and users then put on a buffet to celebrate my birthday, which included a birthday cake in the shape of a camera.

 

“I would like to say a big thank you to everybody who sponsored and supported me and made the day very enjoyable.”