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Diverse Abilities is Dorset’s disability charity, supporting more than 1,600 children and adults across the county with profound physical and learning disabilities. The Splash Appeal is its appeal to raise over £1million to fund life-changing water-based therapy for the adults it supports at The Beehive Centre.
Our mission
We currently can’t provide the high level of therapy needed by ever-growing numbers of adults with disabilities. We do offer hydrotherapy to children at our specialist school but have no facilities to continue this when they become adults, even though they need and deserve it just as much.
Without a therapy pool, we are unable to meet the increasingly complex needs of adults with profound disabilities.
We are raising more than £1million to fund the construction and first year’s running costs for a hydrotherapy pool at The Beehive Centre, including changing areas, drying booths, and all the specialist medical equipment required, such as hoists.
Promoting The Splash Appeal
The Splash Appeal is operated by Diverse Abilities, registered charity number 282197. It will primarily benefit adults who use The Beehive Centre, as of summer 2020, this is 50 adults.
It should always be referred to in full for the first reference, The Splash Appeal, hereafter it can be referred to as ‘the appeal’ or ‘Splash Appeal’ if preferred.
Assets, including logos, can be downloaded from here. Photos must never be edited or used out of context of The Splash Appeal.
The logo must remain in its original colours and used on a white background.
Any questions? Please contact comms@diverseabilities.org.uk for guidance.
Let’s get social
Want to interact with The Splash Appeal on social media? We’re on Twitter and have a Showcase Page on LinkedIn. For Facebook and Instagram, we use the main Diverse Abilities accounts. Feel free to also tag #TheSplashAppeal in any posts.
Charlotte’s Story
Charlotte is 24 years old and has a rare chromosome disorder, where the 9th chromosome appears three times rather than twice. This means one side of her body grows faster, causing painful scoliosis. She also has dislocated hips and while she can walk with a frame, she tires quickly.
Charlotte has been coming to The Beehive for five years. When she joined, she used a wheelchair but was able to walk around the centre with the help of a frame. Soon after, she suffered a severe stroke, leaving her in hospital for nine weeks and unable to walk, eat, or drink.
The physiotherapy room at The Beehive provided invaluable space and facilities for her team to dedicate time to her therapy. She made great progress and was soon strong enough to walk the length of the building with a frame. Unfortunately, lockdown at home meant her strength deteriorated.
For Charlotte, hydrotherapy is vital
Her team has worked hard to help her since returning from isolation and Charlotte has gained the strength to walk again, but she becomes tired more quickly than she used to.
In the therapy pool, she will be able to stand and move without the pain she suffers on land. Help us give her that opportunity.
In the water, Charlotte can move freely, she is also more relaxed and confident - she enjoys splashing around with the bubble machine, playing with water toys, and walking lengths of the pool with support.
Charlotte deserves this…
She and many others will benefit immensely from a new therapy pool based at The Beehive.