The BBC’s Inside Out West followed Grace Isaacs and the Spencer Swim Team in the lead up to the European Masters Championships in Cadiz and the show is now available on the BBC iPlayer.

At 77-years-old, Isaacs has swum for over 60 years and competed as part of the British team at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

Isaacs, who is from Chruchill in Somerset, competed as one of 4,000 swimmers at the European Masters Championships and the Medley relay team took on the Swedish team to break the world record.

To see if Isaacs and her team-mates succeeded CLICK HERE

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Rachel Barton rounded off her British Gas ASA Masters and Senior Age Group Championships in impressive style breaking a World and two European records in the Freestyle events.

Barton (Trafford Metro) became World leader in the 60-64yrs age group’s 100m Freestyle taking the mark from 1:09.95 to 1:09.10.

She was also part of the Trafford Metro 240+yrs Mixed Freestyle Relay team that set a European record with 1:59.45 and she lowered her own existing European record from 31.23 to 31.07 in the 50m Freestyle.

Barton said: “I am absolutely thrilled. I didn’t have the best preparation because we got taken outside at 4am this morning with a fire alarm in the hotel but I have trained hard for this. But you never know until you get into the pool.”

Elsewhere in the 50m Freestyle, Zoe Cray (team Ipswich) added to her list of records by taking the European mark to 26.38 in the 35-39yrs age group. Lindsey Gowland (Etwell) lowered her own British record by 0.20 seconds to 29.05 in the 50-54yrs category and Mark Reynolds (Barnett Copthall) took six one hundredths of his to make 24.12 the new British mark in the 45-49yrs age group.

Reynolds also set a European record in the Men’s 100m Freestyle with 52.90 in the 45-49yrs age group, in an event that saw Maxwell’s Craig Gibbons (48.30; 17-24yrs) and Gloucester’s Tony Cherrington (1:04.50; 65-69yrs) set British records. 

In the women’s 100m Freestyle there was also a British record for Gina Hobson (Otter) with 58.64 in the 30-34yrs age group and Julie Gibson (Etwall) in 59.82 in the 40-44yrs age group.

There was continued success for Alan Jackson. He took another European record in the Men’s 200m Backstroke with 2:59.35. “I was hoping to go under three minutes so I am really pleased,” he said. In the same event Eddie Riach (Milngavie) touched in 2:29.48 to take a British record for the 55-59yrs group.

Richard Stannard (Leatherhead) added to his record haul in the first event of the day, the Men’s and Women’s 800m Freestyle. Stannard powered home to 8:28.37, lowering the previous European mark for the 35-39yrs category by nearly 2.5 seconds.

He said: “It’s been an amazing weekend. I had a bad car accident earlier this year and I am normally a Tri-athlete so I had to change my focus. I have been coming back to the swimming pool and I have been getting lifetime bests. It’s been great fun too so I may do some more.”

There were also British records in the 800m for Keith Godbehere (Rotherham Mo) in the 75-79yrs age group with 14:10.22 and Stella Farrar (Arfon Mast) in the 50-54yrs age group with 10:33.31. Farrar had actually lowered the British mark for the 800m when she swam the 1,500m on Friday but was able to shave off nearly another three seconds in the event itself.

Farrar said: “That was a really tense event. On Friday I had no expectations but I didn’t want to go home today with only one record [the 1,500m] because Karen Jennings did an impressive 400m Free yesterday. So I took the brave decision to go and buy a Lzr Racer and it paid off.  Had I not been so tired I might have lowered it by more than three seconds but obviously I have done a lot of events.”

In the 400m IM Don Leader (Oddicombe) rounded off his Championships with a European record of 10.26.50 in the Men’s 85yrs+ age group, while David Cumming (Sussex Marts) did likewise with 6:38.19 in the Men’s 70-74yrs age group. There was a British record for David Holmes (Donc Dartes) with 4:30.05 in the 25-29yrs age group.

In the Women’s event Amanda Heath (Spencer) clocked a 5:53.80 British record in the 50-54yrs age group and Frances Penwarden (Croydon Amph) took the mark with 6:11.95 in the 55-59yrs age group.

Katie Henderson managed to take almost a second off the British record in the Women’s 50m Breaststroke in the 25-29yrs category to ensure she broke a record per day.

Spencer team mates 71-year-old Muriel Hitchcock (45.81) and 66-year-old Diane Ford (42.46) also lowered the mark in their respective 50m Breaststroke age groups. While in the Men’s event Newbury’s Dave Milburn clocked 31.82 in the 45-49yrs category for a new British standard.  

And Craig Norrey (Camphill Ed) managed to lower his own European record he set in March this year by taking the lead-off leg in the Mixed 4x50m Medley Relay and touching in 27.45. The 200+yrs Camp Hill Edwardians team missed out on the British record in that race by just two one hundredths of a second.

For full results CLICK HERE.

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For more information contact the ASA PR Manager Sharon Rose on 01509 632262, 07876 652318 or email sharon.rose@swimming.org

The ASA is the English National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water, and Synchronised Swimming. It organises competition throughout England, establishes the Laws of the Sport and operates comprehensive certification and education programmes for Teachers, Coaches and Officials as well as its renowned Learn To Swim Awards scheme. The ASA supports 1,220 affiliated swimming clubs through a National/Regional/County structure. The ASA aims to ensure everybody has an opportunity to learn to swim.

About British Gas
British Gas is Britain's favourite domestic energy supplier. As well as providing gas and electricity, it also installs and maintains central heating and gas appliances in millions of homes throughout the country. British Gas is very proud to be the principal partner of British Swimming and home countries: The ASA, Scottish Swimming and Swim Wales. British Gas is supporting the team's quest for medals on the world and Olympic stage - and giving as many people as possible the opportunity to learn to swim and use swimming as part of a healthy lifestyle. British Gas wants to ensure local pools remain at the heart of our communities. By using its expertise, it can help them reduce costs by being more energy efficient and safeguard the facilities for this and future generations. For more information visit www.britishgas.co.uk/swimming

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The Kellogg Company was founded in 1906 and today produces 40 different cereals including popular brands such as Special K, Cornflakes and Coco Pops, and 56 different snacks including brands such as Nutri-Grain and Special K snacks. Kellogg's has been a partner of the ASA and British Swimming for 13 years, sponsoring the Kellogg's ASA Awards and enabling over 50,000 people to take up swimming as part of an active lifestyle.

About Speedo®
The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations. Supporting swimming from grass-roots through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps, Speedo® is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; SPEEDO, the ARROW device, FASTSKIN, LZR PULSE, SPEEDO ENDURANCE, FLIPTURNS, FASTSKINFSII, SPEEDO BIOFUSE, SWYM and LZR RACER are registered trademarks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending.