CHARITY fundraiser Patrick Broderick hopes to raise £1,000 for Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool following a sponsored swim.

He is calling on local businesses to splash out in support of his effort.

The funds will go towards the pool's £80,000 annual running costs.

Patrick, 35, is no stranger to good causes, having previously taken part in the annual North Wilts Rotary Club race to raise funds for the Prospect Hospice in Wroughton.

On Friday the Hydrotherapy Pool, on Jefferies Avenue, unveiled its new extension, funded by a £214,000 lottery grant, to double the size of the changing area, extend the car park and an overhead harness system to help carry people from wheelchairs into the water.

The pool is used by thousands of disabled people who benefit from the weightless exercise and it is used by two Swindon special schools.

The pool was opened by Lord Joffe in 1979.