A WOMAN who has devoted more than 50 years of her life to swimming instruction retires this month.

Olive Atkinson, 76, had been lifesaving for eleven years when at the age of 23, she left an office job to take up a post instructing students in Billingham, Teesside, particularly in lifesaving skills.

After teaching thousands of students, she took on a new job at the age of 65.

Since then, she has worked at Teesside Tertiary College, or Longlands College as it was originally known, in Middlesbrough,teaching life support skills, and training students for professional lifeguard awards.

In 1977, Mrs Atkinson, from Fishburn, County Durham, was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal for her work, which was followed by an MBE in 1995.

She said: "This was mainly for continued voluntary service for the awarding bodies because I do voluntary work for the Cleveland and North-East branch of the Royal Lifesaving Society UK."

Other honours include the Sports Council Service to Sport Award in 1985, and Mrs Atkinson will receive the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for work for the Royal Lifesaving Society in London on Saturday.

Now she is giving up her work, which she still does three days a week, to travel the world for the third time, as she heads towards Australia with a cousin.

She said: "I don't do any exercises or anything like that, but it's a busy occupation, so you are on the go all the time.

"I used to have an occupation in an office, but I started to do lifesaving myself when I was 12 and I was always interested in the competitive side of lifesaving, so I used to compete.

"From that it just progressed into teaching swimming, mainly because the hours were compatible with my daughter at school and things like that."

Mrs Atkinson's daughter, Barbara Broadbelt, also works for the Royal Lifesaving Society.