The letter below is from Jo Bourgaize, Co-ordinator for the Guernsey Fibromyalgia Support Group. Please reply direct to her if you are interested, her contact details are at the end of the letter.

 
 
 
At recent support group meetings I have been asking people to contact me if they would be interested in using a hydrotherapy pool in Guernsey. Hydrotherapy has been of great benefit to many people who live with chronic pain conditions and would otherwise find exercise difficult and painful to do. The water in a hydrotherapy pool is at the right temperature to ensure that your muscles do not get cramp or suffer from pain. Exercising in water is easier to do and less likely to cause further damage to joints in the body. But hey, I’m not a professional in this field! I am sure if you ask health professionals they will confirm this or if you look up hydrotherapy on the Web you will see the various articles explaining the use of hydrotherapy and its benefits for various health conditions.
The reason for looking into this matter is that one of the members of our support group has had the benefit of using the hydrotherapy pool at the PEH for a short course. However, this facility can not be offered to her on a permanent basis, even though she has benefited greatly by using the hydrotherapy pool and feels it has enabled her to gain a level of fitness and mobility that she has not had in a long time. It is such a shame that she is not able to continue. So, I have been approached to see if the support group can help.
The big question is: Can we set something similar up ourselves?
There is the hydrotherapy pool at the PEH but this may not be available for our use. However, research has shown us that there are other hydrotherapy pools around the island that perhaps are not being used all the time.
We would need someone to be present during the sessions who has a current life saving certificate for this purpose.
We would also need to look at funding this whole idea, if necessary.
None of this is impossible but we just need a little more help to see it happen.
We could consider combining with other disability groups to ensure we have enough people to benefit from the hydrotherapy sessions. For example people who have arthritis or other mobility problems.
I am given to understand that ideally we need 2 – 3 people per session and each session would be approximately 20 mins. Therefore, I am looking for approximately 9 people in total per hour. If we had 9 people come forward then we could look into ‘employing’ a life saver for one hour, once a week and paying them for their time and expertise.
Once I have an idea of how many people are interested then we can hopefully move forward with the idea. I have had four people come forward so far.
Obviously, anyone who wanted to take part in the hydrotherapy sessions would need to discuss this first with their GP to ensure that it is safe for them to take part in the sessions.
Therefore, I need to know how many people would be interested in joining a small group and what days and times would be most convenient. Also, I need to know if there is anyone who has a current life saving certificate who would be interested in helping us?
If you have any suggestions or ideas on how you might be able to help us, please get in touch.
I look forward to your feedback on this idea.
Kind regards
Jo Bourgaize
Support Group Coordinator
Guernsey Fibromyalgia Support Group
Helpline Tel: 0844 887 2465
Email: fibrosupport@cwgsy.net
Website: www.fibromyalgia-guernsey.org
Facebook: guernseyfibromyalgiasupportgroup@groups.facebook.com
For more info on Fibromyalgia: www.fmauk.org