A NINETY year-old record-breaker from Shipston is encouraging older people to get active.
Arthur Lowe attends Shipston Leisure Centre to swim twice a week and claims swimming has been his lifeline.
He is the fastest 90-year-old male in Britain to swim 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle and the 50m and 100m backstroke, holding the British records in the 90 to 94 age category and showing no signs of slowing down.
Arthur said: “Being 90, it is without a doubt swimming that has kept me going and my love of the sport. It obviously keeps me quite mobile compared to another poor old soul who might be 90. I just love swimming and I’m at home in the water.
“I started swimming aged 10 not long after the war and had to go to the local pool because we hadn’t got a bath at home in the house.
“When I was working as a mechanic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (now Malaysia) I used to go over to the pool and I was asked to swim for the army. I had an hour in the pool every morning, almost seven mornings a week before starting work. It was good for the army, and it was good for me.”
Arthur is an honorary member for Birmingham Masters and now plans to compete in the National Masters Swimming Championships for Kenilworth Masters in Sheffield next month, endeavouring to enter five events.
He continued: “I want to beat everybody in my age group. The youngsters are infinitely faster than I am. I can live with that, but I can’t live with somebody who’s 90 plus beating me.”
Arthur’s swim routine involves early morning swims to keep him active, but also some socialising.
He added: “Swimming is such a wonderful sport – all your muscles are going at the same time, you’re breathing and you’re observing. I start at 8 o’clock in the morning, swim for an hour, have a shower, then go home.
“It is a wonderful chance to talk to complete strangers, learn to talk to people and watch their expressions. And if they give you a frown, stop talking.
“If you want advice on your swimming – it is never, ever too late. Age is just a number. Get into the pool, it’s not hard, and say hello to me.”
This October and November, across Stratford district, Everyone Active is encouraging a greater number of over 60s to become physically and mentally active, with the launch of its Age is Just a Number campaign.
Now in its fifth year, the campaign, running until November 17, celebrates healthy ageing by showcasing their fitness stories and proving what can be achieved by staying active into later life.
