Swim England North East is proud to be supporting the Alan Shearer Foundation’s Million Pound Mission – helping its campaign to build a second hydrotherapy pool at the Alan Shearer Centre.
As an organisation dedicated to helping people across the North East enjoy, participate and thrive in and around water, this is a campaign that really resonates with us.
We know better than most the many different ways that being in water can make a difference to people’s lives. Whether it is swimming for enjoyment, competing in aquatic sport, improving physical and mental wellbeing or experiencing the therapeutic benefits of water, access to the right facilities can be transformational.
That is why supporting the Alan Shearer Foundation in its ambition to create a second accessible hydrotherapy pool at the Alan Shearer Centre felt like such a worthwhile cause for Swim England North East.
The Million Pound Mission
The Alan Shearer Foundation has launched its Million Pound Mission, a 12-month campaign aiming to raise £1 million towards the creation of a second hydrotherapy pool at the Alan Shearer Centre in West Denton.
More than 10,000 members and their families currently rely on the Centre, which provides specialist facilities and support free of charge. Demand has grown significantly and the existing hydrotherapy pool can no longer keep pace, meaning families are competing for limited therapy time.
The Centre provides a safe and inclusive environment for people with a diverse range of abilities and needs, with facilities including sensory rooms, its existing hydrotherapy pool and outdoor spaces for play, learning and social interaction.
For us, the connection with the campaign is simple.
We love being in and around water – and we believe as many people as possible should have the opportunity to experience the benefits that water can bring.
A second hydrotherapy pool would enable more children and adults with complex disabilities to access vital therapy and support, so we are delighted to play our part in helping the Foundation towards its £1 million target.
Move a Mile
The latest phase of the Million Pound Mission is the Foundation’s new ‘Move a Mile’ challenge, launched by Alan Shearer alongside North East Mayor Kim McGuinness.
And the good news is that everyone can get involved.
The challenge asks people to walk, run, swim, cycle or move one mile in whatever way works for them, make a donation and then nominate someone else to take part.
The Foundation hopes that people across the North East and beyond will collectively complete 52,719 miles – one for every seat at St James’ Park.
Schools, businesses, sports clubs and community organisations are all being encouraged to organise their own Move a Mile activities.
We would love to see the North East aquatics community get behind the challenge too.
Whether you swim your mile, walk it, run it, cycle it – or find your own way of completing it – every mile and every donation can contribute towards creating a facility that will make a genuine difference to people and families across our region.
Get involved
Take on your mile, encourage your teammates, colleagues, friends or family to join you and help the Alan Shearer Foundation move another step closer to its goal.
Together, our aquatics community can help more people experience just how powerful being in and around water can be.
Take part in Move a Mile or make a donation
Find out more about the Alan Shearer Foundation’s Million Pound Mission
