A SWIMMER who first took the plunge seven decades ago has won her second award after covering a million metres in the last three years.

Eighty-one-year-old Sheila Mills - who does about 50 lengths every morning at Stourport Sports Centre - has become the first person to win two "diamond jewels" in the centre's Jewels of the Forest award scheme. Sheila Mills at Stourport Sports Centre where she has swum 1,000 kilometres in three years.

Swimmers need 20,000 lengths - 500,000 metres - under their belts to win the diamond award and Mrs Mills has just clinched her second after 18 months.

She said it has helped keep her motivated but vowed: "I shall carry on swimming, but I shan't carry on counting!"

Mrs Mills, of Stourport's Prince Rupert Road, has been visiting the centre since 1978 and is one of its oldest swimmers.

"I know there's a chap who's only a year younger than me but he only goes once a week," she said.

Mrs Mills, who learnt to swim in the Black Country when she was just 10, prefers backstroke and the crawl and prides herself on still diving into the pool.

And she rarely goes far from the water.

"I don't often miss a day but if I do go on holiday I like to go somewhere where there's a pool."