A swimmer with cerebral palsy is hoping to dominate the pool when she competes at the world championships.

Fabienne Andre, 21, from Saltdean, will be representing Great Britain at the 2018 Cerebral Palsy World Games.

It comes after a generous response to a crowd funder, allowing her to afford to prepare for the Games and travel to Spain.

The GB team is required to self-fund its participation in the event.

So far Fabienne has raised £2,510, thanks to donations from family, friends and well-wishers in the community.

Speaking to The Argus she said: “I’ve been really surprised by how so many people from the community have donated and it’s been really great to have so much support.

I’ve had support from my secondary school Longhill High School and my swimming club Mid Sussex Marlins, and so many other people in the community, friends and family.

“I’m so thankful for their donations and all the messages of support.”

Fabienne was born with cerebral palsy, which affects movement and co-ordination and is caused by a problem with the brain that occurs before, during or soon after birth.

The condition specifically affects her lower limbs and way of walking.

Fabienne’s Team GB selection is even more impressive considering she only learnt to swim aged 13 after she was referred to swimming club after an operation as form of physiotherapy to regain strength.

Since then her passion for swimming has grown and she has proved her mettle in national and international competitions.

She said: “This is the first competition where I have actually been selected to go abroad to compete for my country which is really exciting and I am just really looking forward to it.”

Now the second-year physiotherapy student is working hard juggling studying for her degree at Brunel University, and making return trips to her club in Sussex for training for the Games in August in Sant Cugat del Vallès, near Barcelona.

A Longhill High School spokeswoman said: “The staff at Longhill High have very fond memories of Fabienne and are so proud of her.

“Not only was she an academically gifted student, but she was also totally committed to the school. She was always determined, respectful and showed great empathy with others.

“We were delighted to make a contribution towards her fundraising efforts and wish her every success at the CP Games.”

The Cerebral Palsy Games are a multi-sport competition for athletes with a disability.

To donate to help Fabienne go to the Games you can visit www.gofundme.com/competing-in-the-cp-world-games