Willebroek (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Het Dolfijntje therapeutic pool in Willebroek will close on November 1, 2025, after over 30 years, due to higher repair costs. Families, schools, and care groups, including Rita Van der Spiegel, expressed deep disappointment.
As VRT News reported, the closure of Het Dolfijntje in Willebroek, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, has led to disappointment among families, schools, and care organisations.
“We were really shocked,”
said Rita Van der Spiegel of vzw De Kompanie in Mortsel, an organisation that provides residential and day care for young adults with disabilities.
“There’s no similar initiative in this region. We sometimes go to the Gielsbos in Gierle, but that’s a long drive for our residents.”
What will happen after the closure of Willebroek’s therapeutic pool?
According to officials, for many people with disabilities, swimming in warm water was an important part of their therapy, helping to reduce pain and improve movement. Without Het Dolfijntje, finding suitable alternatives nearby will be difficult. Local organisations are urging the municipality and regional authorities to look for a new solution.
“Every two weeks, we took about six clients there. It makes a huge difference for many people. For example, we have someone who regularly experiences spastic attacks, and if they go swimming a few times, it immediately improves significantly,”
said Rita Van der Spiegel.
The closure of Het Dolfijntje in Willebroek has raised concern for the Groenlaar Special Education Primary School in Reet. The school often used the therapeutic pool for pupils with physical and motor disabilities.
Teachers and therapists are now searching for another facility, but there are very few options in the area.
“The news has come as a complete shock,”
said Guy Apers, chairman of the organisation.
“I didn’t expect it, but it’s understandable because the costs are extremely high. It’s not good news; we were moved to tears.”
The therapeutic pool Het Dolfijntje in Willebroek opened more than 33 years ago and served people with severe motor disabilities from across the region. In 2015, the pool closed temporarily due to a damaged filter but reopened soon after.
Concerns about its future returned in 2017, leading to a public petition that gathered more than 7,000 signatures and later over 20,000 in 2018. That same year, the Flemish government granted annual financial support of about €132,000 to help keep the facility running.
Despite those efforts, new inspections in early 2025 revealed serious leaks and concrete damage, making repairs too expensive. The operator then decided to close the pool permanently, ending decades of therapeutic and community service for people who relied on its warm-water treatments.
