An inspiring 70-year-old is going from strength to strength at a Wythenshawe gym and walking again after one year of personal training.
Wheelchair user Tanya Pritchard, from Firswood in Manchester, has seen her mobility transform thanks to her dedication to a personal training programme at Wythenshawe Forum, which is run by award-winning operator Everyone Active in partnership with Wythenshawe Forum Trust.
Tanya, who has used a wheelchair for more than 40 years after an accident left her with spinal injuries, started personal training after attending regular hydrotherapy sessions.
Tanya said: “My left side doesn’t respond to what my brain is thinking so it behaves differently, which can be quite a problem at times. I was under Manchester Royal Infirmary and the consultant neurologist there was looking at how to get older people who’d had injuries for a very long time moving more. Moving forward I have been swimming regularly at Wythenshawe Forum.
“He suggested hydrotherapy and I’d been swimming at Wythenshawe Forum for about a year when one of the lifeguards suggested I had a word with Joel, a personal trainer. We had a chat about it and Joel thought he could help me, so we arranged a session.”
Tanya initially had reservations about personal training due to low energy levels and previous advice but gained confidence in the gym over time, proving people wrong.
“When I came down for my session, I was terrified,” said Tanya. “I thought, ‘What are they going to think? I’m 70 this year and I’m in a wheelchair’. At that time, I wasn’t walking at all. I had no strength and very little energy. I was permanently tired and I thought, ‘they’re going to think this is nuts’.
“I’d never been allowed to do any of this stuff before. The people who told me that I wouldn’t walk – that’s held me up for quite some time. And when people tell you something for so long, you believe it. Joel has been fantastic and over the months, it’s worked.”
Joel Tipper, who has been a fitness manager and personal trainer at Wythenshawe Forum for more than two years, began Tanya’s programme gently, slowly helping her to walk across a matted area of the gym.
Joel said: “With Tanya, our goal was to eventually begin to walk. So, we started off very lightly walking from one side of the mat area to the next where we’d have me and another fitness trainer on both sides of Tanya, gradually holding the back of her elbow and her hand. We started to build that up over time with a few more lengths.
“We’ve got to the point now where she can walk predominantly on her own with just a walking stick and we do a full rotation of the matting area. The biggest difference I’ve noticed in Tanya is her confidence in going into the gym and her approach to trying to do exercises.”
Tanya is thrilled with her progress and her fears of starting the gym are now a memory.
She said: “When we first went into the gym, the first thing I noticed was the people there my age. I think it was more the wheelchair that made me think that I’m in the wrong place.
“Now I absolutely love it. I really enjoy coming to the centre and Joel has been extremely patient. Sometimes he realises that I’m more tired than I say I am. He adjusts the sessions accordingly and I think we make a good team.”
The turning point for Tanya was when she was able to walk down the corridor at her home.She said: “I went to say happy new year to my neighbour in my next door flat and I walked down the corridor on my own holding on to the rail, using a walking stick. I couldn’t have done that without coming to Wythenshawe Forum. My confidence has blossomed.”
Phil Bowers, contract manager at Everyone Active, said: “Our mission is to help people of all ages, abilities and interests to keep active and break down any barriers preventing that.
“Tanya is a brilliant example of how a member’s willpower and the right personal training programme can be transformational on someone’s journey to better health.”