Swimmer

Cochlear implants and water don't mix - well, the outside parts that is. This means that learning to swim poses something of a challenge.

Three years ago, despite some wonderfully patient swim instructors, lots of improvised signing and semi-enthusiastic splashing, things were not going well.

A hot summer in France with friends with their own pool helped to turn it around, as did a move up to a school pool up in Braidburn when the Commonwealth closed for refurbishment. We also tried out a little trick that we'd learnt on the cochlear implant parenting grapevine that involved the imaginative use of heat-sealed food bags and the rather natty swimhat you see in the picture.

With Tom able to hear in the pool, one-to-one tuition (the City Council doing something right) and warm water we have seen a massive difference... and today I took the rare opportunity to see the action. Underwater, backstroke and lots of confident out-of-depth stuff - all splendid and very normal for a wee seven year old.

Normal is our target; normal is good.