Stormin' Norman Paul has fought back after a stroke which left him paralysed, vowing he will be jogging within two years.

Mr Paul has returned home, after spending almost a year in hospital, and splashed out on equipment, including a trampoline, to get back to full fitness by the age of 81.

He said: "I want to be an inspiration to people not to give up when they've had a stroke."

His recovery is partly due to his overall level of fitness and determination.

Mr Paul, known as Stormin' Norman by running colleagues, took up jogging in his 60s, after he began to pile on the pounds while working in telecommunications in Fleet Street, London.

He continued with the hobby when he retired from London to Saltdean with his wife Patricia.

His marathon efforts raised thousands of pounds for charities, including the Rockinghorse Appeal, which raises money for the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children in Brighton, and for arthritis organisations.

He even launched a branch of the organisation Arthritis Care.

A father-of-five, Mr Paul has run the 90-mile South Downs Way as well as every London Marathon and was running in the Hastings Marathon when he suffered the stroke, which devastated him physically in 1999.

Mr Paul, who has 17 grandchildren, said: "I didn't know anything for three months. Then I became aware of my wife Patricia being there and my daughter.

"I couldn't move one of my arms or my leg. It was frustrating."

Mr Paul would get out of bed and try to walk, determined to make a full recovery.

He said: "You have to keep trying. I did get some tellings-off from the nurses but they were wonderful."

After almost a year, Mr Paul was allowed home and invested in gym equipment.

He pedals on a tricycle, walks on an electric treadmill daily - although he is not yet jogging - and jumps on his trampoline to keep in shape.

He said: "I will get back to jogging and I will do it by the time I'm 81. When I'm out and I see people running, I'm jealous and think, 'I want to do that'."