A disabled athlete has spoken out at the lack of training facilities in Bradford for people like her.

Mother-of-two Karen Pearson, who was paralysed from the waist downwards after a horrific road smash, has battled her way back to better health to become an international gold medallist.

Mrs Pearson, 38, of Dallam Walk, Saltaire, has won gold and silver medals for power lifting at the World Wheelchair Games at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire.

Now she is launching an appeal to help her find a gym in the Bradford area which will accommodate people in wheelchairs as she sets out on her next mission to win gold in the Paralympics 2000.

Mrs Pearson said: "I got a couple of personal bests at Stoke Mandeville and that's spurred me on to go for the Paralympics in two years' time.

"Now I'm looking to find a gym in Bradford which is accessible for people in wheelchairs. All the gyms I've been to see so far have been upstairs, which is no good for me.

"I need to practise if I'm going to get anywhere - the more training I get the better - so now I'm asking people if they can help."

At the event last week, Mrs Pearson fought off stiff competition from more than 70 power lifters to win her gold and silver medals.

Until now she's trained at a specially-adapted gym for outpatients at Wakefield's Pinderfields Hospital, and through a scheme run by Leeds Prisons. But because the times she can go and use both facilities are restricted, she's on the look out for a gym closer to home.

Mrs Pearson lost the use of her legs when she was in a road accident four years ago.

She said: "I was living in South Africa at the time. It might have been that I fell asleep at the wheel, but all I know was that I was in hospital for five months recovering."

Mrs Pearson returned to her Saltaire home to regain her strength with sons Neil and Craig. Her interest in power lifting resulted from a rehabilitation programme at Pinderfields.

Ring Bradford 826464 if you can help with a gym.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.