Retired Eastbourne swimming teacher to swim the Channel after operations on foot, knee and hip

Heather Curry, a swimming coach, will swim 1,416 lengths of the Brighton Uni pool in Denton Road over a period of six weeks for Aspire Channel Swim.

Heather said, “16 years ago I had the first cartilage repair and arthroscopy on my knee.

“I have arthritis in general.

“Over the past four years, I’ve had operations on both of my feet I have metal rods inserted into my big toes.

“This January I had another arthroscopy on my knee. And in June I had a new hip.

“My new hip has given me my life back. I’m doing almost everything I could do before. There isn’t a simple option like that for people with spinal injuries yet.

“But independence is something we all strive for and this is what Aspire is about.

“The reason I’m doing all of this is that I am so very, very grateful to all the NHS staff who have kept me moving.

“I’ve been almost immobile before every operation.

“I want to do something positive in an unsettled world. This is my thank you. This is something fun, and positive.”

Heather has swum all her life and dreamed of swimming the Channel as a child.

She said, “I’ll be achieving a dream as well as helping myself back to fitness.”

Heather says she has seen spinal injuries as a result of jumping into shallow water and added, “Research is making such great strides but, in the meantime, injured people and their loved ones need a lot of help and support, both emotionally and physically.”