AN asthma sufferer is fighting her way back by tackling unusual hobbies -- ranging from car mechanics to belly dancing!

Jacqueline Boardman, 53, had to leave her job as an auxiliary nurse at Queens Park Hospital 11 years ago but has refused to let the condition stop her enjoying life.

The mother-of-two, of Longshaw Lane, Blackburn, said: "At first I didn't realise I had asthma but it got to the point where patients were offering me their oxygen and I knew I had to stop.

"When I got my invalidity book aged 42 it was heartbreaking and I thought I was on the scrap heap but then I decided to go out and do something."

Jacqueline says she was also sick of having to rely on husband Bob to do things for her so began a number of courses to make her an independent woman. Her most recent is a ladies' car mechanics course at Darwen Access Point, which she attends once a week.

She said: "I've had experiences before when mechanics think that because I am a woman I know nothing about cars and they can tell me anything.

"But now I'll know what's wrong myself and I'd advise other women to find out more for themselves too."

She signed up for the course after her current car, a 10-year-old Fiat Uno, broke down twice in a fortnight while on the weekly shopping trip.

Now she knows how to check and change her oil, change a tyre and will soon know all about the brakes too. A less practical but fun course is belly dancing which Jacqueline also attends twice a week at DAPA in Eanam Wharf.

She said: "I have been belly dancing for about a year because it makes you feel really good about yourself. I have also made a lot of friends and it has given me more confidence to go out and do other things." In addition she has also just passed her umpires test in Crown Green Bowling, of which she has been Blackburn Women's league secretary for the past three years. And she also attends sewing, embroidery and painting classes.

Jacqueline who has two sons Andrew, 32, and Anthony, 31, took part in a Bite Size computer course last year and is about to sign up for this year's course in learning more about the internet.

She said: "Living in a house full of men for the past 20 years, who are all very handy in the home, makes you feel quite insignificant.

"Previously every time I tried to do something in the home it was corrected by my husband. But now I can get it right myself."

Bob, 64, who is a caretaker at Beardwood High School in Blackburn, is very proud of his wife and insists he does not feel threatened by her new-found skills. He said: "It's great -- I am very proud of her and it keeps her out of mischief."