Back in time FOR PE

Some may shudder at the thought of games lessons at school, but these three women have found confidence, joy and a lot more by taking up the activities they played in their childhood

- 

I'm diving back into swimming'

Sue Bordley, 50, from the Wirral, is an author

Stepping out of the swimming pool, out of breath and tired from my workout, I couldn't stop smiling. I'd only managed 30 minutes in the pool, but it was the best that I'd felt for a long while.

In 2016, my job as a teacher had become too much. With mounting, and unmissable, targets, it had begun to feel like Mission Impossible. Eventually, I was so stressed out that I couldn't carry on, and was signed off sick.

Every morning, I'd get my two sons ready for school then crawl back into bed, where I'd hide from the world. Everything seemed so overwhelming. Eventually, I realised I had to get back out there and rebuild my confidence doing something that I enjoyed. Immediately, my mind turned to swimming. I hadn't done it for 20 years but I remembered clearly just how much I'd enjoyed it when I was younger. I'd not really liked sport at school I wasn't a fast runner or good at catching balls, but when our teachers took us swimming, I'd loved it. I felt completely at home in the water. wasn't competitive and I could go at my own pace, which, admittedly, wasn't very fast. But I had a lot of stamina and earnt all of my distance badges. After primary school, I'd with a friend on a go Saturday morning, but then I became a teenager and self-conscious of stripping down to my swimsuit. And as I got my first job, then got married and had my boys, I just didn't have the time.