SUZANNE Warren has vowed to "dream big" and stay focused on her goal of competing at the 2020 Paralympic Games.

The elite level S4 disability swimmer, from Holland-on-Sea, has shattered numerous regional and British records in recent years and is the reigning Tendring Female Sports Personality of the Year.

She just missed out on the Team GB squad for this year's Paralympics but is determined to stay positive and "come back fighting", to make up for her Rio disappointment.

"The future is positive and I'll do everything I can to get myself in top form, both in and out of the pool," said the former primary school teacher, who has Addison’s Disease.

"My goal is to make a world or European team and, after that, I'd love to go onto Tokyo 2020.

"I just have to convince the doctors and work hard, dream big and then I'm sure I could achieve my dream.

"Right now, I'm just happy to be getting my health back on track.

"That's better than anything and I have the whole summer to concentrate on that and come back fighting next season."

Warren, who produced a solid performance at the recent British Summer Championships, has switched from Ipswich Swimming Club to Norwich.

And the early signs are that she has made a smart move.

"It's a big dream to be part of Norwich Swimming Club," she said.

"I can't believe how wanted they've made me feel.

"They've been so supportive in working out a programme that allows me to train there once a month and I get a lot of opportunities to work with top coaches including Alex Pinniger, who looks after Jessica Jane Applegate.

"It will not only be a great opportunity but also a different way to get my training where it needs to be, with variety and input from various different people.

"I also have the support of the Clacton-based Masters group, who I now swim with once a week."

Meanwhile, Warren recently took part in the British Summer Championships.

And she qualified for the 50 metres butterfly event without even realising.

"I was in hospital when the invites came out and so only found out four weeks before that I'd actually qualified," she said.

"It wasn’t something I'd thought about achieving.

"Under strict doctor's orders, I only had four weeks to train after approximately 12 weeks out of the water.

"Even then, I was only allowed to train three times a week, which is hardly good preparation for a gala of this level."

Despite this, Warren produced a solid performance to place third behind S6 swimmers Eleanor Robinson and Elise Martin De La Torre.

"The water is my therapy but I had to fight hard with my consultant to get him to agree I could swim at all," she said.

"But I'm determined to carry on competing and will manage my Addison’s and neurological conditions while I'm still recovering.

"It may take up to a year so I'll need to learn to be patient but there's a lot I still want to achieve."