We ask office manager Lorraine about her swim story.

I started swimming from a young age. My parents were keen for me to be able to be safe around water. Naturally I took to swimming well and found it easy to pick up all the skills and drills to enable me to swim for a local swimming club. I trained Monday to Friday with the club and sometimes competing at a gala on a Saturday.

My training was a mixture of early morning and evening sessions. As I got older the training consisted of dry land training plus swim training. These sessions could last 2hrs each. The best event I ever won was becoming Middlesex Champion and awarded the Junior Wilkinson Sword. I got to keep the sword for one year then had to hand it back so it could be given to the next champion. They also gave me a trophy which I got to keep.

Whilst competing at that swim event, I was spotted by a man named, Maurice Sly and invited to swim for my local borough. Maurice Sly MBE, has coached many of the country's most famous swimmers, including Olympic silver medallist Sharon Davies. My family were so excited and obviously very proud of me. I continued to train each week with my local swim club and the borough, so it really did feel like I was in the water most of the time.

By learning to swim, it opened up my world. I mean, it gave me social skills, confidence and a sense of achievement. It even enabled me to become a lifeguard (my first job when I was 16) at a local pool. Later, I even became an ASA swim teacher as I wanted to teach other children to swim. And now here I am working at a swim school.