Board game club founder Mike Oakes has invented a new game to raise money for a hydrotherapy pool at St Nicholas special School in Chippenham.

Mr Oakes, whose wife Sandra is mayor of Chippenham, has raised more than £200 in just four weeks for the charity SNAP which is his wife’s mayoral charity.

Mr Oakes, of Wells Close, Chippenham, said: “My children and grandchildren are healthy but these children have not had a chance.

“To have a pool at St Nicholas will mean they do not have to be driven around to get the therapy they need, and that will be amazing.”

Mr Oakes spent two months designing the word association game Octoputs, in which players score points by putting octagonal word tiles together to make longer words.

“I wanted to design my own board game when I was retired, and that is what I have done,” he said.

“It was in my brain for about five years and I started making it this year.”

He did 22 play tests and spent many hours refining the tiles before trying it out on members of Chippenham Boardgames Club.

“I am really happy with it and I think it will appeal to everyone,” he said.

It takes Mr Oakes two hours to make each game pack, which he considers a labour of love.

He said: “I always try to have three or four copies in reserve, but at the mayor making ceremony I sold six, so I will have to spend 12 hours making them up.

“It will be worth it though, and I am also hoping to go into schools to offer them for the afternoon clubs and things.

”I am hoping there will be a ripple effect where people see them and buy one for their family.”

Each game costs £8, of which £5 will be donated to SNAP. The rest will pay for materials.

Mr Oakes will be selling the games at various public events in Chippenham throughout the year.

Hi wife chose SNAP as her charity when she was mayor once before, in 2007/8.