Liam is a swimming star

It was a proud moment - not just because Liam progressed from being a non-swimmer to one of the top group at Val's Swim School, which he attends every week, but he overcame severe asthma to do so.

Liam said: "We went to Bewl Water and we each went up on stage and we shook hands with Duncan Goodhew.

"He was friendly and you could easily talk to him."

Instructor Kelly Govan was there to see Liam pick up his medal, along with other youngsters honoured at the Southern Water Achiever Of The Year Awards.

Kelly said: "It was such a nice day out and they all were made to feel so special. When Liam went up his family was cheering. It is nice that kids can be recognised for actually achieving something...you could see there were a few people sitting there with a tear in their eye.

Everything was done in such good spirit. Duncan Goodhew handed round his Olympic medals so the kids could look at them, and some of them wanted to take them home."

Liam, who lives in Upper Road in Hooe Village, is a Little Common Primary School pupil who began learning to swim at the age of five.

Mum Heather remembers back to his first asthma attack when he was just 18 months old and said the family GP didn't realise what the problem was, and conflicting medical opinions meant the right diagnosis was slow in coming.

"Liam couldn't tell us what was wrong, and it used to make him very sick. He was slightly build and I felt that didn't help. He was very sick before they really diagnosed him, and he didn't get drugs until he was about two and a half. It felt like you were talking to a brick wall, but we got there in the end."

Liam no longer has severe attacks because he is on controlling medication, but Heather thinks swimming has improved his health.

"He has never been interested in sports or achieving anything in sports, but swimming is the thing he has been done and been interested in. The times I had to go to the side of the pool to give him his puffer, but he kept going, and improved so much. I am very proud of him."

"He started here (at Val's Swim School at Battle Abbey prep school) at the bottom of the group with severe problems, and has come right up to the top group. He hasn't given up. When he was little, because he had asthma, he used to get so cold in the water...but he kept on going."

Liam commented: "I really like swimming...it was hard work to begin with, but I think swimming has held make me stronger and the breathing helps my lungs."