MARGARET Edgell, a member of Ledbury and District ASC's masters section, was in action at the Swansea National 50m Olympic-sized pool during the Welsh Open Championships.

She swam all frontcrawl events, the 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m and having competed in these championships last year, set out to improve on her times.

Prior to joining masters swimming at Ledbury, Margaret had not competed before, but she came away from the Welsh Championships with three gold medals and two silver medals for her age group.

She said: "I wasn't sure how to tackle it and the tumble turns exhausted me. I like the venue at Swansea but it is slightly scary and my knees still knock when I'm on the block. It seems an awfully long way. However, I was very proud to have Ledbury on my cap."

Ledbury masters coach Helen Evans said: "Masters swimming consists of swimming training and competitions for those aged 19 years to over 90 years old. Training sessions offer an hour session of lane swimming with other like-minded swimmers, and competitions are optional but good fun.

"Margaret did extremely well considering we only hold training sessions once a week. It can be nerve racking, but you get a great sense of achievement when you achieve what Margaret has done."

Margaret said: "It's always nice to come home with a medal but the greatest achievement for me is to swim competitively as a 52-year-old."

Ledbury and District Swimming Club provide a one-hour session every Wednesday evening, 9-10pm. If you are interested, call in to Ledbury swimming pool on Wednesday evening at 9pm.

You must be able to swim a minimum of two lengths (50m) with ease. Ledbury Masters welcome any age above 18-years-old and the sessions offered range from an easy swim programme to more challenging swim programmes, covering over a mile during the hour.