A FIVE-YEAR-OLD girl who last year became the youngest person ever to get her bronze swimming medal has gone one step further.

Briony Gorton has now become one of the youngest people in the North West to achieve her personal development stage two at Hyndburn Sports Centre-- the equivalent to the silver medal.

Briony, of Winterley Drive, Accrington, would like nothing better than to spend every hour she is not at school in the pool.

A pupil at St John the Baptist, in Padiham, Briony has a swimming lesson once a week and drags her mum and dad to the pool at least twice a week.

Mum Tina said: "If I asked every day if she wanted to go swimming, she would say 'yes'. She loves it and can't get there enough. I am so proud of her.

"She is taught at the sports centre by Roger Goodman. The children think the world of him.

"Briony completed her stage one (bronze) award at the age of four. It's usually achieved at the end of junior school. I think I was about ten when I did it".

The five-year-old had to complete a number of tests in the pool in her pyjamas to earn the silver certificate and badge.

They included performing a straddle jump, swimming four lengths in four minutes, treading water for four minutes while waving her hand in the air for one of the minutes and swimming another four lengths.

Briony also did a surface dive, swam under water, did another four lengths of the pool, and climbed out unaided. She hads to complete all the tests in less than 20 minutes.

She's some water baby.