Brenden whilst learning to swim at Shaplands, lost a leg to chickenpox & lost his confidence to be in the water. His teacher John Dommett reintroduced him to water and swimming.

John recalls “Brenden was fine in the water and settled in really well and got his confidence back very fast. I remember someone had made a prosthesis to help him in the water. Brenden did not like it so I tossed it out of the pool. From then on Brenden went back into his former class with his friend Luke Edwards and was just like any other pupil learning to come to grips with developing his aquatic skills. Brenden made the necessary adjustment to the way his body now behaved in the water and if anything it made him more determined.”

When Brendan left the swim school he and his brother Marcus each wrote John beautiful letters dated the 10th of September 2001. Brenden went on to join a swimming club and used his newfound determination to rise to the panicle of his sport winning gold and silver in London, Beijing and Rio Paralympics.

See Brendan in our new Television and social media commercial.