HE has taught thousands of children to swim and helped them achieve swimming medals, but now Brian Wiggins is being honoured with his own.

Mr Wiggins, 55, has been teaching children with Bicester Blue Fins since he was 16 years old and today gets a BEM for his services to amateur swimming.

Over the past 40 years he estimates that he has taught hundreds of children each year in the town and has always done so voluntarily, fitting it in between his work and family life.

He also has taught the lifesaving course with the Bicester Blue Fins at Bicester Leisure Centre in Queens Avenue. Father-of-two Mr Wiggins said: “I started when I was 16 because they asked for some help and I have always helped since then.”

But Mr Wiggins, who lives with his wife Lynda in Longfields Court, Bicester, said he did not believe the letter telling him he was receiving the BEM.

He said: “I thought it was spam. I couldn’t believe it and I really didn’t know anything about it, so I had to go on the internet to see if this was a real thing or not.

“We are all very surprised and, of course, very happy.”