Alex Crane and Ariyan Alimadadi encouraged me to start exercising for the first time since I left school in 1982. For the next 42 years at College, University and working as a teacher (so back to school again!) did‘t to any exercise. The only time I did any exercise was when I started skiing. However, in 2014 I started having a Stroke on Christmas Day. Two days later I was in the hospital in Innsbruck when I have the full Stroke in the airport just as we were waiting for the plane to board.

Everything changed. My weight (16st 6lb) started to reduce very quickly. Because of the Stroke, something changed with my taste. I did not like the taste of sugary or salty food or drink. By July my weight had reduced down to 12st 6lb. Four stone in half a year! In September James Faulkner, Senior Lecturer in Winchester University Sports and Exercise, introduced me. He was working on a programme, Health
Enhancing Lifestyle Programme (HELP) that will help people, like me, have had a Stoke or a Heart Attack. As a result, he used me as a guinea pig. For an 8-week programme, Alex and Ariyan did a pre-intervention before a number of assessments. Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, blood Cholesterol levels, weight etc. Then the programme started. I was asked twice a week in the Winchester University Sport and Exercise Department, using the treadmill and free weights. Each time Alex and Ariyan gradually increased the speed on the treadmill and increased the weights. After the 8-week programme I did the post-intervention assessment. Everything had improved so much that the basic health of my body had reduced the likelihood of having a second Stroke. When the final post-intervention assessment had finished at the end of April, I joined Fleming Park Gym membership. I swim a mile three times a week and three times a week in the gym trying to improve the treadmill and the weights. As of today, I ran 40 mins at 9kph, 6K. Within two weeks I hope to get 10K on the treadmill. I have registered for the Lake Run in Andover on the 18 September. I hope to raise £1000 for the Stroke Association.

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