People with breathing conditions and sports injuries to get new Wigan treatment hub
The legacy of Wigan’s “king of the undertakers” has been secured with a new business that he himself dreamt of creating.
Brian Halliwell, the long-time boss of R Banks and Sons Funeral directors, died in 2022 after battling the progressive and incurable lung condition ideopathic pulmonary fibrosis for years.
To relieve the symptoms he used to have to travel all the way to Morecambe in order to use a hyperbaric oxygen therapy pod and several times lamented that there wasn’t such a facility much nearer to home.
Well, thanks to family and friends, that wish has now been granted with the launch later this month of Breath for Healing: a holistic therapy centre at the Glasshouse Business Park, Landgate.
An oxygen therapy pod will be joined by an infra-red sauna along with reiki, reflexology and sports massage.
And so the hub will not only be of value for those with chronic respiratory conditions but also those being treated for cancer, people who have inhaled smoke in a fire and those who have suffered sports injuries.
Brian, 67, always signed off as BH and it is no coincidence that the company’s name bears his initials.
The brains behind the project are son Martin, Martin’s wife Claire and friend Shaune Hilton (who himself benefited from Morecambe therapy).
Martin said: “Part of Dad’s treatment, as prescribed by his consultant, was to have hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It really did ease his symptoms, but whenever I took him to Morecambe we had to make a day of it because it was so far. He used to say we should have something like this in Wigan but it never came about.
"Then last year Shaune had a growth under his armpit and on a trip back from Morecambe, we looked at each other and said ‘we’ve got to bring this to Wigan.’
“We have invested heavily in equipment and picked staff and just the right venue and are ready for launch on May 11.
"So many people can benefit from these treatments. A cyclist, for instance, might feel like they have to splash out thousands on a state-of-the-art bike to shave seconds off their time but having therapy is much cheaper.
"And we would be delighted if it eases the suffering of other people with lung and health conditions.”