AN ex-RAF pilot bored with Civvy Street is the region’s answer to an elderly David Hasselhoff as he becomes Hambleton’s oldest swimming pool lifeguard.

Peter Fish has yet to don the red shorts of TV’s Baywatch but at 67-years of age he is still sprightly enough to spring into action.

Based at Thirsk Pool, in North Yorkshire, the pensioner is proving that age is no barrier to making a big splash in retirement.

Mr Fish, of Easingwold, near to Thirsk, in North Yorkshire, retired ten years ago and decided he needed a new challenge.

He recently took up the personal venture of completing a course of lifeguard lessons with Thirsk White Horse Swim Team.

The keen swimmer is now a casual lifeguard at the pool after he passed the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification.

The course consists of in-depth training about the potential hazards and risks within the pool.

It also covered supervising pool users to use the facility safely and also first aid, in-water stamina training and simulated rescues.

The course candidates must swim and tow almost two lengths of the pool in under 65 seconds too.

Mr Fish said: "I wanted to try to persuade parents that they could become actively involved with activities that their children participate in.

"And I also wanted to prove that age is just a number. But despite being a regular swimmer I was not mentally prepared for the assessment.

"I don’t think that I’d been so nervous since before I first flew solo - and that was over 50 years ago!

"But I am really excited to be able to lifeguard at the pool – and I hope to be able to maintain the qualification through continual training."

Mr Fish has been praised by the Institute of Qualified Lifeguards (IQL) for his efforts.

Ian Prosser, technical officer for the IQL, said: "It’s an achievement to do what he has done and at that age it’s pretty good going.

"You have to be fairly fit to be a lifeguard and to pass the national qualification he has proved to have the confidence to get up and be a success."

Mr Prosser added that Mr Fish still had some way to go to be the oldest UK lifeguard as they had some listed aged 70-years and above.

For more information about lifeguarding opportunities at Thirsk Pool contact 01845-522447 or www.hambletonleisure.co.uk.

For details about Thirsk White Horse Swim Team visit www.twhst.co.uk or call 0797-405-8409.