Paralympic swimmer Jessica-Jane Applegate has thanked supporters after receiving enough donations to prolong her career until April.

Miss Applegate, of Burgh Castle near Great Yarmouth, warned that her glittering career could be over after the funding for her training was slashed.

A crowdfunding page was set up, and Miss Applegate has thanked her fans after it reached a total of £3,674.

The page was yesterday reset to claim her funds so far but the urge for donations continues, with the ultimate aim of raising a grand total of £15,000.

On the Just Giving page she said: 'The last campaign raised an amazing £3,764.

'Thank you so much for your continued support, together you have managed to raise enough money to keep me training, racing and in medical care until April and I am incredibly grateful for this.

'I have continued my post-operation rehabilitation and have been receiving treatment for my prolapsed disc.

'The outcome so far has been very positive and after a long period of time I have begun to gain personal best times in racing again.

'I could not have done this without all of your support: every penny helps.'

Miss Applegate launched the crowdfunding campaign at the end of last year, after learning her funding was to drop from £21,000 to £11,000, as well as losing the use of a £5,000 grant.

This meant she was no longer able to cover the costs of necessities such as travel, accommodation, race entry fees and racing suits.

The Just Giving page is hoping to raise £15,000 to continue her career as an international para-swimmer and achieve her dream of representing Great Britain at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Last year, Miss Applegate returned home from the Paralympics in Rio with three medals, having previously brought gold back to Norfolk from the London games in 2012.

Despite the recent concerns over the future of her career, she has been on top form.

In December she beat her own para-swimming world record, winning the S14 100m butterfly in a time of 01:06.86 seconds.

To donate to Miss Applegate visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/JessicaJaneApplegateMBE