A school girl from Southampton is setting new standards in swimming. Francesca Edwards, from Chandlers Ford can swim 1 mile, a distance many adults would struggle to cover, and she’s only 5.

Francesca completed her 1 mile swim whilst on a summer swimming crash course at Shirley Swimming Pool, Southampton. She began swimming at the pool when she was just 6 months old and has been going from strength to strength ever since. Before attending the crash course, Francesca had only completed her 100 metre badge. And on the last day of the course the children were given the opportunity to try for badges, Francesca just kept on swimming, and had to be stopped once she’d reached a mile – and she wasn’t even tired.