IF you ever felt that age was any bar to achievement then you haven’t met Ken Heathcote.

This 80 year-old grandfather swam the three-mile Great North Swim in Lake Windermere at the weekend.

Ken founded Bolton Health Studio in 1968, creating a blueprint for this country’s fitness industry, and even today he is acknowledged as a leading expert in this field.

Never unwilling to push himself, Ken has got into the habit of sporting challenges on several milestone birthdays, and looks likely to do so for a long time to come. He is a remarkable example of tackling life head-on.