Jolly Josh celebrates five-year anniversary with opening of hydrotherapy pool

Local children’s charity Jolly Josh is marking its fifth anniversary next month with an open day to celebrate the official opening of its brand-new hydrotherapy pool.

The centre’s open day on Saturday 24 September will see the children’s hydrotherapy pool officially opened by Members of Rochdale’s Youth Council Henry Leahy and Deputy Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) for Rochdale Joyce Kapiamba.

The pool will be the borough’s only hydrotherapy pool dedicated to children with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD), complex needs or physical disability.

Jolly Josh was founded in 2017 by Carole and James Kelly, after discovering there were no groups for young disabled children in Rochdale. The group was named after their young son, Josh, who was diagnosed with the genetic condition Mitochondrial Disease at the age of six months. The condition causes mutations in mitochondria, vital to every cell in the body, with Josh confirmed to have ‘extensive brain damage’ as a result.

After his condition deteriorated, Josh died on 27 August 2017, just one month before Jolly Josh was due to begin.

The stay-and-play sessions were set up with the hope to bring families together, provide peer to peer support, share experiences, and eliminate isolation, especially for children with disabilities and special needs throughout the borough.

Originally hosted at Springside School, the charity was given 10 years’ worth of free rent at Ensor Mill by local businessman, the late Peter Cordwell in 2019.

 

 

The Jolly Josh centre opened in April 2022 and is fully accessible for a range of needs and disabilities with specialist interactive sensory equipment for the children and their families to enjoy together.

Founder Carole said: “Jolly Josh is a fully inclusive centre complete with ceiling track hoist and ‘Changing Place’ facilities, specifically for the needs of children living with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) to enjoy safe play with their family.

“The addition of this brand-new hydrotherapy pool and hydro-therapist will provide so many more opportunities and benefits to the children and families who visit Jolly Josh.

“Our open day will showcase to our community how we can help families facing isolation as they care for their very own children with complex needs, as well as their siblings. Jolly Josh was founded to enable people like me, as I cared for my son Josh, along with the rest of the family, to connect, support and thrive.”

Jolly Josh, its trustees, and families will be celebrating this special day thanks to the generosity of local construction company H Bell & Sons, which has kindly sponsored the event.

Of their contribution to the anniversary Louise Scott, H Bell & Sons Finance Director, said: “H Bell & Sons has been operating for 110 years, which has seen four generations of the Bell family working with and supporting local people and businesses.

“It's important to our family and our team to support the borough's future generations, so by sponsoring the Jolly Josh fifth anniversary open day and hydrotherapy pool opening, we can help give as many families as possible a chance to see first-hand the benefits of this amazing centre."