Oliver's back in the swim

Oliver Smethurst (4) who is getting free swimming lessons from Chadderton Wellbeing Centre to help with his recovery after he was hit by a car outside the centre in Burnley Street in February

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

A LITTLE boy who suffered horrific injuries when he was hit by a car six months ago is miraculously back in the swim of things thanks to Chadderton Wellbeing Centre.

Oliver Smethurst (4) was left with a fractured skull and pelvis and broken legs and spent three days under sedation in intensive care after the incident outside the well-being centre in Burnley Street, in February.

He endured a six-hour operation to pin his thigh bones together and spent several weeks in Royal Manchester Children's Hospital with his doting mum, Shirley Davey, and his family by his bedside.

Staff from the centre rushed to his aid until paramedics arrived and afterwards Shirley told the Chronicle: "The staff from the well-being centre were fantastic. I don't think Oliver would be here now if it wasn't for them."

Now they're helping him with his recovery by giving him free one-to-one swimming lessons to help his rehabilitation and they say he's already made progress and is getting fitter and stronger.

Swimming teacher Zoe Buckley said: "Oliver has made an excellent overall recovery. He is confident enough to swim without any flotation aids and he has jumped in the pool on his own, which is an excellent achievement and shows how much his leg strength has improved.

"He has now moved up a group to orange hat. I'm exceptionally pleased with how well Oliver has done and I hope he continues this progress with his new teacher in his new group."

His overjoyed mum ­- who spoke exclusively to the Chronicle about the torturous hours which followed the incident as she prayed for her son's survival and his miraculous recovery ­- said: "Oliver has come on leaps and bounds and he's delighted that he can return to his group swimming sessions in a higher class.

"Oliver still trips and falls a lot after his accident, but his legs are getting stronger. I honestly believe the swimming has helped him make such a speedy recovery and I can't thank Chadderton Wellbeing Centre enough."