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As I write this blog we are all going through a very uncertain time but lockdown was going to happen whether people wanted it to or not to keep everyone safe , I personally have only left the house to walk our puppy or once properly to go and see my gran (social distancing at all times)

Not much has really changed for me during this time except I can’t play wheelchair tennis until it is really safe to do so, I have had a few blips with my mental health but I’m receiving great support from my family and empowerment coach.

I honestly can’t wait to get back to tennis and being able to go out by myself the weather has been very different to what we are used to and no doubt it will change as soon as tennis starts back up again but we’ll cross that bridge when the time comes

I hope everyone is keeping safe and well at the moment and I look forward to giving you another update soon ❤

Apologies for not updating you all sooner 2020 certainly has been busy so far with 2 empowerment days in Cornwall on and off court with my counsellor. I have also managed a good number of training sessions with my coach (when the weather has held off enough for me to train) One session was in the fog!

There have been a few blips that I have had and am currently dealing with but I have someone to talk to about things when they get to much and am taking each day as it comes at the moment.

Many of you will be unaware that I have endometriosis and that it causes me a lot of additional pain on top of my “normal” pain in my legs i’m on medication but it has stopped working and so I have been having to take several rest days (something that I don’t like doing) and have had to wait to get an operation date to explore what is going on. I have to take 3 weeks off training!!! something that I will definitely find challenging because I like to train to keep myself as fit as possible and it also motivates me when I see and hear how well I am doing

6 days ago we welcomed Acorn a Minature Cockapoo into our family it has been both physical and emotional journey for me but she is such a great little companion for me and will hopefully get to come with me on some adventures this year

i haven’t any tournaments booked until I recover fully from my operation now that I have a date I can start planning a few things for when I’m out of action and discuss with my team my first few sessions back on court

I’ll keep you all updated with what’s going on and how I’m doing. I’m really glad to have such a supportive family, tennis coach counsellor and friends through this rollercoaster of a life

Keep safe during storm Dennis and remember it’s ok to talk about things happening in your life

🙂💪🎾🙂

Hello all what a rollercoaster of a year it’s been for me with my wheelchair tennis journey, I’m truly grateful for all the people who have supported me through it all including my amazing family, friends, coach, empowerment coach and medical team. Between training sessions on and off court there have been so many medical appointments I have lost count.

The beginning of February saw the arrival of my new custom made tennis chair (I still haven’t named it yet!) And what a difference it has made to me in the way I sit I’m actually sitting straighter because the back rest has been made to support my scoliosis (curve of the spine) as well as being a lighter chair which makes it so much easier to move and boy can I surprise people when I move across and around the court.

There have been a few things that I have had to make changes to including where I train due to negative people and feeling like I wasn’t going to actually ever achieve anything I listened to advice and found a club closer to home with a coach who understands exactly what I want to achieve and works on doing everything she can to help me improve but also enjoy each session even if the weather is cold we still manage to find something to smile about

In November I entered my first national tournament in Shrewsbury not knowing at all what to expect I had spent months preparing for a weekend both physically and mentally. It was the first ever tournament i went into feeling prepared and not so nervous as previous local tournaments. I had a lot of support from my empowerment coach who was also competing, my coach who text me every few hours to find out how I was getting on and my amazing parents who took me and stayed with me whilst I competed.

I came away from the tournament amazed by what I had achieved I came 3rd overall in the singles and runner up in doubles after some very close matches

I would just like to say thank you for all of you who believe in me 2020 is the year I’m going to start believing in myself more,

I have lots planned and I can’t wait to show you what I get up to next

Wishing all a Happy and healthy new year

🙂

I’ve finally got round to writing up about things from nationals after 4 days much needed rest.

For the first time ever I felt both physically and mentally prepared for a tournament because I had so much support from my empowerment coach and tennis coach. I knew what to expect when I arrived at the tournament so I wasn’t so anxious and I just had to see what happened when I finally got on court. As soon as I got in my chair I forgot everything that was going on around me and concentrated on the match ahead remembering everything that I had learnt and what I needed to do

I actually won my first match much to my surprise 5-3 4-1 then played doubles with my new doubles partner she was able to give me a few tips on what to expect from our opponents then I went on to play a short set of 4 games with the womens singles and doubles winner for fun doubles , by the end of the day I was exhausted and it had finally sunk in that I was at a tennis nationals. Next day started early and I started playing earlier than expected to get into to the top 3 .

I lost my next 2 singles games but came 3rd overall , I felt that all my hard work on and off court was definitely worth it. We came runner up in doubles after a very challenging match too .

It was lovely to see people from other tournaments and to hear how amazing it was to see me playing at a National level and how much I have improved instead of just at a local events.

I would like to say thank you to all my sponsors and supporters for believing in me from the start of this journey

It’s time for me to plan ahead for next year’s tournaments and to continue the hard work

I never ever thought I’d be able to do tournaments outside of my club because my coach at the time never told me about them and convinced me that I would never be good enough to do it.

This weekend is a whole new experience for me, yes I’m excited but I’m also a little apprehensive about going which is a normal reaction.

I’m going for the experience to see what a proper tournament is actually like, to meet new people and to put everything I have been working on to the test.

I have a lot more support around me than ever before my parents, my new coach who has taught me things I should have been shown years ago and my empowerment coach who first suggested that I entered this tournament

No one is going to stop me from doing what I love anymore

I’ll update you all as soon as I get the chance to at the beginning of next week

This time next week I’ll be in Shrewsbury (still can’t believe that its actually happening)

I have 2 more sessions on court with my coach who has listened to me and has shown me new techniques that I haven’t been shown in the last 15 years. My empowerment coach was ecstatic when I mentioned that I was doing the end of year tournament as she recommended it to me as a good one to finish the year of changes.

I’m trying to stay positive and focused on what I have been working hard on and not get myself to worked up about things which is what I normally do

I’ll update you all next week 🙂

7 years ago I was constantly crying and I couldn’t tell anyone why. I was in and out of the doctors every week for 2 months regarding other health issues. It took quite a few appointments before I finally said that I needed help with the way I was feeling. I didn’t want to live any more and felt that people would judge me for saying how I felt (the reason why I kept it hidden for so long)

I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety caused by years of bullying and the grief caused when I lost my grandad.

I was sent to an NHS counsellor who said the reason why I was feeling the way I did was just because I have a disability during the 6 session he made me feel worse about myself and that I actually just needed support which he couldn’t give me. 2 weeks later I was sent to a group session talking about getting my life back it was for people who have experienced bereavement and how to regain control of their lives by getting out the house and seeing friends something that I felt I couldn’t do due to transport issues and the fact that I didn’t know who I could really trust and that the few friends who I could really trust lived far away. I also still didn’t want to leave the house by myself

I then met my empowerment coach at a wheelchair tennis tournament but it took me several months and a lot of strength and courage to finally ask her for help. She agreed to help me due to everything that I have been through in my life.

She has never judged me for being me and has given me time to be able to offload everything that I have needed to on a weekly basis ( it’s different for everyone) and if I have a blip she is just a phonecall or text away. We have also worked on the tennis court because I felt like giving that up as well because I wasn’t been listened to

It’s scary and exciting to look forward to the future now , I have a lot to look forward to now that I have found the right support and that I do actually have a future ahead of me and that I am able to deal with things a lot better than ever before

If you need help don’t be afraid to ask its changed my life and I know now its ok not to be ok all the time

I can’t believe that in 3 weeks time I’ll be in Shrewsbury playing my last tournament of the year, I feel overwhelmed when I think back to this time 2 years ago and how close I was to giving it all up. I look back now and realise I’m glad that I didn’t

I have made some changes in my tennis journey this year I received my amazing chair in February which I still can’t believe that its mine, everytime I get on court I forget everything else that is going in my life, I block out all the negative thoughts I have at the moment and become one with my chair (I know that sounds weird but it’s true) I also started training with a new coach who sees my potential and encourages me to work hard towards a goal. I’m excited to see where this journey will take me next year

I am truly grateful for all the people who have supported me this far including all my sponsors, family and good friends

Off to rest now ready for tomorrow’s session fingers crossed for good weather before packing for a day trip to Newquay again on Monday which I am really looking forward to 🙂

I can’t believe that I’ve actually just signed up for the end of year Nationals tournament in Shrewsbury I never ever thought that this would happen for me as I have been held back for so long from entering tournaments

Since meeting my empowerment coach and my new tennis coach – 2 amazing ladies that acknowledge what I want to achieve and the best ways for me to do so

The next few weeks I will be pacing myself but still working hard on making it to the tournament

Lately I have been suffering from dangerously low iron levels nothing unusual for me!!! but I know that I’m allowed to still train and must rest whenever possible (something that I find hard to do)

Watch this space for updates etc

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