MP Marie Tidball has swam 7km, the distance between two towns within her constituency, as part of a fundraising campaign to make Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre more accessible. 

The Penistone and Stocksbridge MP, was born with a congenital disability which affects all four limbs and has campaigned extensively for inclusive spaces for disabled people.

Dr Tidball first learnt to swim at the leisure centre as a child, said: “I wanted to give back to a very special place who gave me so much and I wanted to make sure that the facility is accessible.

“It will not only make a difference to children and their sense of dignity and self-esteem but also to disabled parents so it will make a massive difference”

The MP, who’s Crowdfunder is still open for donation, swam 280 lengths, the distance between her two constituencies, in just under four hours.

Dr Tidball’s fundraising goal of £7k would contribute to approximately 20% of the total £35,000 cost to convert an existing changing room at the leisure centre into a fully accessible one. 

She said: “When I was at school they didn’t do any inclusive sports so you were just thrown in with other able bodied classmates and expected to do the sport the same way they did.

“I couldn’t so the only way I could engage was to be the referee, and being out on a freezing cold field and not even able to take part in the game, was undignified and quite stigmatising for me, I found it very upsetting.” 

According to a report by Activity Alliance, only one in four disabled children can always join in on school sport. 

Dr Tidball said: “The sports changing rooms weren’t accessible so even just getting changed for sports was very stressful for me, and I didn’t want to have anyone helping me in front of my other classmates.

“By the time I got to Year 9 I stopped doing PE lessons and did art lessons instead so I was essentially excluded from PE.”

As one of the first MP’s to be elected with a congenital limb difference, Dr Tidball is determined to make a difference and promote opportunities around inclusive sports and facilities. 

When asked how difficult the swim was, Dr Tidball said: “I was really struggling 160 lengths in and I was panicking because I wasn’t even half way, and suddenly someone jumped in and swam alongside me and I realised it was Kim Leadbeater who is another MP who came to spur me on.

“The first section was heavy going but the support from Kim and my family and friends who were there encouraged me.” 

After completing the 4.5 mile race, she said: “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house in the end.”

Click here to see how she is getting on with her fundraising goal.