IRENE ATKIN was in her mid-forties when she first discovered she had chronic breathing problems. Although she had smoked for some of her adult life, she packed in when she first noticed her mild breathlessness and didn’t give it much thought thereafter. But when she started feeling as though she just couldn’t breathe, even doing the most moderate of exercise, she knew things were getting worse. Fifteen years later, Irene dreams of the days when she could just go for a long walk on a sunny day.

Irene, who is a member of Breathe Easy Darlington, has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma and relies on pressurised oxygen pumped via a cylinder. Although she tries to use it as sparingly as possible, her prescription says she needs it 16 hours a day.

Despite her debilitating condition, she refuses to give in to her illness and is determined to exercise in a bid to enjoy a little bit of normality. She says: “I’d love just an hour – one hour of being normal again – to be able to remember what it felt like to be able to do things without a second thought.”

Breathe Easy Darlington recently started an exercise class for people who want to improve their condition. The classes are run by Corporate Personal Fitness (CPF) from its fitness studio in the town’s Business Central. Breathe Easy chose CPF over larger gyms because it appreciated the company’s "bigger-isn’t-always-better" approach.

James Edwards, a Breathe Easy committee member and life-long asthma sufferer, says: "The CPF gym is state-of-the-art but it’s also compact and designed to be non-threatening. If you’re suffering breathing problems and possibly visiting a gym for the very first time, the importance of that cannot be overstated. I don’t think any of our members would fancy visiting one of the big gyms. I’d probably feel embarrassed.

“One in five people suffer some form of lung disease and it is responsible for about a fifth of all deaths. There are 12 million respiratory sufferers in the UK. Compare that to the seven million people who suffer from cardio pulmonary problems or the 2.5 million people living with cancer and you can see how big it is.

“And yet some people still think anyone with breathing difficulties must have been a heavy smoker. We know there is a link between COPD and smoking in particular, but 20 per cent of sufferers have never smoked in their lives.

“People like me, who have chronic asthma, have never looked at a cigarette yet I wish I had a pound for every time someone has said to me ‘I bet you smoked as a lad’. Sometimes it’s quite upsetting, especially as they usually say it loudly to your face.”

Fitness expert Victoria McFaull works with members and claims respiratory exercise makes a huge difference to their lives.

“Even after just a couple of weeks I can see the difference,” she says. “You might think that’s not possible after a handful of classes, but the exercise doesn’t stop when they leave the gym. I give them homework as well: the first week it’s gentle stretches and the second we start on short walks. The idea is to build up lung capacity and stamina slowly – and it really does work.”

Irene agrees. She joined the classes in May and has noticed a big difference in her condition. “My walking has improved a lot,” she says. “At the last class Victoria set us a goal of going for a ten-minute walk per day, which I did. It’s really motivated me.”

CPF studio manager, Victoria, an auxiliary nurse who decided to start a new career as a personal trainer, is about to gain her level four certificate in exercise training for chronic respiratory disease. This has equipped her with the skills to agree and adapt a physical activity programme for adults with chronic respiratory disease.

She explains: “Obviously, your body changes with age, you lose muscle tone and your bone density changes. In addition, with Breathe Easy’s clients there are further considerations for individuals with chronic respiratory disease who may have additional clinical conditions such as diabetes, heart failure or osteoporosis.”

There’s a social aspect to the classes, too. Irene says: “I love going to the gym. It’s all kitted out and I go to exercise but it’s nice doing it along with other people you know from Breathe Easy. We all look forward to the classes.”

*Breathe Easy Darlington will have a table in the outpatient department of Darlington Memorial Hospital from 9.30am to 4.30pm today. Membership is free, and you can join at one of the social gatherings which are held at the Copper Beech Pub, Neasham Road, on the first Tuesday of every month from 12.45pm. Email breatheeasydarlington@hotmail.com or call 03000-030555 for details.