A FISHBURN woman who has devoted more than 50 years of her life to training lifeguards will finally hang up her swimming costume this month - to travel the world.

Olive Atkinson, 76, has been teaching life support skills to professional lifeguard students at Teesside Tertiary College. She took the job at the age of 65.

She had previously taught swimming to students at Billingham Campus - a job she had held since she was 23.

Now she is giving up her work, which she currently does three days a week, to travel the world - for the third time - on the way to Australia with a cousin.

On Saturday, Mrs Atkinson will receive the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for work for the Royal Lifesaving Society in London.

In 1977, Mrs Atkinson was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal, followed by the Sports Council Service to Sport Award in 1985 and an MBE in 1995.

She said: "I used to have an occupation in an office, but I started to do lifesaving myself when I was 12.

"I was always interested in the competitive side of lifesaving, so I used to compete.

"From that it just progressed into teaching."