Swimmer Sam Tilbury has been given a £500 boost by a Biggleswade supermarket to help propel her to sporting stardom.

Visually impaired Sam has been named as one of the first recipients of Asda's Sporting Chance grant - and looks set to become one of the country's finest in her field.

The grant will help pay for her attendance at the Open Meeting held in Cambridge and the Nationals held in Sheffield.

At the Open Meeting the 17-year-old, who studies animal management at Shuttleworth College, set a new British record and personal best.

Sam said: "I learned to swim when I was two and started swimming seriously when I was about nine. About a year-and-a-half or two years ago I lost the sight in my left eye."

Being registered as disabled saw Sam being catapulted into much larger competitions where she competed at a higher level - but although she says it was nerve wracking, her very first outing saw her singled out as a rising star.

Sam, who swims with Flitwick Dolphins, trains for around two hours every day, with an hour long drive both too and from the pool.

And she is also hoping to jet off to Dubai in 2010 for the world championships.

For the full story see the September 12 edition of the Biggleswade Chronicle.