THIS week Elaine Shallcross becomes BUPA's champion of leisure -- but there will be those who have thought that for the past 11 years anyway.

For Elaine has given up her post as Burnley Borough Council's principal sports development officer to pursue 'the chance of a lifetime' as the national leisure advisor for the private health oraganisation.

She leaves with a tinge of sadness, a few unfulfilled deams but with a huge amount of satisfaction.

For over the last decade or so, Elaine has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of local sport and leisure across the borough.

But it is not just raising the profile for in that time Elaine has helped raise millions of pounds worth of Lottery funding for local clubs, organisations and facilities.

A job well done but not a job complete.

She said: "I would like to think that I have left the post in a better position than when I took it up 11 years ago. But I could never leave and say that I have achieved everything I set out out to achieve because it doesn't really work out that way.

"In this line of work there are always things to achieve and I leave the job still feeling passionate about some of the projects I have worked on and really hope they succeed."

Born in Wigan, Elaine moved across to East Lancashire five years ago and is now happily settled in Padiham.

And although her new job will take her across the country, Padiham is where she will remain for the foreseeable future.

"The new job is a fantastic opportunity for me but I have no intentions of moving away. I love it in Padiham and I am settle here."

There is also the small matter of Burnley and Padiham Ladies Cricket Club -- a club she formed six years ago.

"I used to play cricket for Chester a few years ago up until the team folded. When we started a cricket coaching programme at Walshaw High School there was nowhere for the girls to carry on once they left school so I decided to form the team."

The team has led something of a Nomadic existence since then after Elaine failed to find a permanent venue.

But that disadvantage has turned to advantage as the club has flitted between Padiham CC, Burnley CC, Lowerhouse CC and Burnley Belvedere CC.

"It is nice to move around from club to club because people get to know more about ladies cricket than if were based at just one club. At the start we probably would have prefered to be at one club but now I am happy it did not work out that way. I would like to thank all the clubs for their valuable support in the last six years."

It has been a slow building process and at times Elaine has struggled to field a full side.

"It came to the stage that wasn't sure how to place the field with 11 players," said Elaine, a decent off spinner and middle order batswomen.

But the club now has a hadcore of 15 players and this season picked up their first peice of silverware winning the Lancashire Women's League where they beat Dale Wanderers in the final of the Plate competition.

"That was a great moment and made all the hard work worthwhile. We have a young side and we beat a team that included a number of county players and the county captain." Burnley and Padiham Cricket Club now have a county player in the making in Charlotte Glendinning who has been selected for Lancashire trials -- another example of the club moving in the right direction.

It is not just

cricket Elaine has a keen interest in as she plays in the County Veteran Badminton league, is a former Lancashire netball player and even managed a team to a record breaking cross channel swim!

She said: "I was a member of the Howe Bridge swimming team from Atherton that swam the English Channel in 1984.

"We swam it in legs and when it was my turn I ended up in the shipping channel. And those big tankers look like a block of flats from close up. It was pretty scary!"

Elaine was team manager when the team completed a world record breaststroke relay in 1986 and then guided the team to the very ever two way breaststroke crossing in 1991.

So she knows her sport -- been there, bought the swimsuit!

However, it is probably what she has achieved behind the desk is what has given her the greatest satisfaction.

Although it is near impossible to list everything Elaine since taking up the job, one of her earliest achievements is still her greatest achievement.

And that was the introduction of the Splash summer sports active scheme which has just celebrated its 10th anniversary.

The scheme was a joint initiative between Burnley Council and Burnley Police which Elaine co-ordinated.

Elaine added: "I worked closely with Colin Donahoe of Burnley Police on the programme which was basically to introduce a number of sports activities for children to take part in."

And Elaine has got out on high after learning that a Lottery bid to open a canoe centre in Padiham has been successful.

BUPA are getting a new champion of leisure -- the people of Burnley knew that already!