A BURY woman has been awarded honorary life membership of the Royal Lifesaving Society.

Mrs Sabina Carr (64), of Kibworth Close, Whitefield, received the prestigious award in recognition of more than 40 years of voluntary service to the society.

She said: "I was tremendously honoured as there are not that many given."

She was presented with it at London's Guildhall by the Rt Hon Lord Norrie, patron of the RLSS.

Mrs Carr, who is chairman of Radcliffe Swimming Club, began lifesaving in the Leeds and District branch of the society and first gained the Bronze Medallion in 1950.

Following spells in Derbyshire and Canada she arrived in Middleton in 1962 where she was appointed an examiner.

When she and her husband, Barry, moved to Whitefield in 1968 she joined Radcliffe Swimming Club, mainly to continue lifesaving.

There she took the Bar to the Award of Merit and was later appointed to the Branch Panel of Senior Examiners.

She went on to gain every award including the society's diploma, the highest practical and theoretical award. She is also currently qualified as a pool lifeguard.

For many years Mrs Carr was competition secretary for the Manchester and District branch of the RLSS at a time when many of the branch champions went on to win national titles.

She is currently training a group of young swimmers towards the RLSS millennium medallion, a special award for the year 2000.