Respite hotel closure due to rising cost pressures

Many guests say they love using the hydrotherapy pool at Sandpipers respite hotel in Southport

A respite hotel which has been supporting people living with disabilities for the last 36 years said it would have to close next month because of "insurmountable" financial pressures.

The Revitalise Respite Holidays charity confirmed it would have to shut Sandpipers in Southport on 25 November.

The Merseyside retreat, opened by the then Prince Charles in 1988, offers guests a wide range of activities and entertainment as well as a hydrotherapy pool with views across Marine Lake.

Darren Hanley, from Bolton in Greater Manchester, said his regular visits to Sandpipers each year "gave him independence".

Darren Hanley, who has cerebral palsy, said his breaks at Sandpipers were "really important" to his sense of wellbeing

Anne and Louise Dixon, a mother and daughter also from Bolton, also said the loss of Sandpipers would limit their future.

Louise, who has cerebral palsy, said she loved going there to "get away from my sweetheart mum and enjoy myself".

She said she especially enjoyed using the resort's hydrotherapy pool.

During Louise's stays at Sandpipers, her mum and carer Anne said she also benefitted.

"It gives me time to browse in a bookshop, go to a library, just go to various places," she said.

"And I can't do that if Louise is with me as [she] wouldn't like that."

Anne and Louise Dixon said they are devastated to learn about Sandpipers' closure

In 2022, Sefton Council approved Revitalise's application to increase the number of beds at the hotel from 38 to 50.

Just last year, though, the charity acknowledged rising financial pressures.

Now it has said: "The financial challenges we face have become insurmountable… the breaks we provide will now be beyond reach for the majority of our guests.

"It remains our lasting hope that policymakers take heed of the critical state of affairs in the social care sector and ensure that respite is properly funded."

Sandpipers has been a well-known Southport landmark since 1988