I'm taking on the Aspire Channel Swim 2019, swimming the distance of the English Channel over 12 weeks to raise money for Aspire. Every four hours someone is paralysed by Spinal Cord Injury and Aspire provides the essential equipment, advice and housing that spinal cord injured people need to live their lives independently. This is a big challenge, but the more I raise, the more of a difference I'll make.

Jason Hewitt, of Dereham, temporarily lost the use of his legs after he fell from a metal pole as a teenager.

Although the feeling in his legs eventually returned, and memories of the accident faded, years later he began experiencing excruciating back pain and was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc, resulting in nerve damage to his right leg.

To prepare for back surgery, he was advised to take up swimming as a way of building strength and aid recovery after he struggled to walk following his operation.

Now Mr Hewitt, who swims three times a week for a total of around seven miles, is joining the national campaign Love Swimming to highlight the benefits of swimming for physical health.

His story is part of a wider campaign by Swim England and together, with its partners, the national governing body is urging the medical profession to be more proactive in prescribing swimming as part of a programme of activity to manage medical conditions and aid recovery.

Elaine McNish, head of health and wellbeing at Swim England, said: “We are calling on the medical profession to consider recommending swimming to people who would benefit from improved physical health.

“To have the support of people like Jason who’ve experienced the benefits swimming can have is fantastic and I sincerely hope it inspires others to try swimming and transform their physical health.

“As the government and medical profession increasingly move to prescribe exercise as a conduit to improved physical health, we believe that swimming and wider aquatic activity is increasingly the answer for many people.”

For Mr Hewitt, a third back operation was on the cards but is no longer necessary as a result of the swimming. And, as well as no longer needing painkillers, for the last four years he has taken part in the Aspire Channel Swim. The challenge sees participants swim the equivalent length of the channel while raising money for people with spinal chord injuries.

Speaking about the campaign, Mr Hewitt added: “I’m thrilled to be part of the Love Swimming campaign and share my story in the hopes that it will inspire others to take up swimming.

“Swimming has had such a positive impact on my physical health - I have never felt fitter than I do now. [It] is my lifeline to moving about and getting on with my daily routine. If I haven’t swum in a while, I can really feel it in my back and legs which goes to show what a difference it makes.”

This was taken from a artcle in the edp in april 2019, what it doesnt say is im no natural swimmer, i was taught at school in70s 80s, tried to get into local swim club "the Otters" which failed, i got back into swimming and gym in the mid 90s which help with my mental health at the time. Then i started my swimming trip in the 2010 due to artical above, ive had swimming lessons to help with my stroke. Its helped me so much, i can now live without painkillers and do things out of the water that gave pain before. 

So get into that water, even if its a few lengths, slowly wins the race.