SHE may be 95 years old, but golfer Gillian Arengo-Jones is still in the swing at Cricklade House Golf Club.

The great-grandmother of six, who plays golf once a week and has a handicap of 18, was made a life president of the club at the weekend. Dozens of people attended a party in her honour on Saturday and Jill said she was flattered to have been given the title.

“I can’t believe it,” said Jill, who joined the club in 1986. “I thought I was coming up for a quiet lunch. They told me they were going to play golf in the morning and asked if I would like to play. I said no, not this time but then they invited me for lunch afterwards.

“I used to play twice a week but now I am just playing once a week. I hope to carry on for a long time. Golf is so challenging and you go to such lovely places.”

Jill, who played for Wiltshire in the 1960s with a handicap of nine, first picked up a golf club when she was about 12. She did not get a proper handicap until she was in her 40s.

“I lived in London from when I was 14 until I was 21 and I never saw a golf club. My golf has been very up and down missing years and then playing again,” she said.

Jill’s mother, Vera Weston, played golf for Gloucester and also played tennis at Wimbledon once.

Willie McIvor, men’s captain at Cricklade House Golf Club, said: “It is a great honour to recognise Jill’s achievements. She will be making sure we are doing things correctly for the club.”

Among the people celebrating on Saturday was Myra Jones, of Purton, whose late husband Bill was a life president.

She said: “Jill will love being a life president, she will be absolutely perfect for it.”

Neil Scott, managing director of Cricklade House, said: “Jill has been given this honour because she has supported the club for nearly 30 years. She is an amazing lady and a great role model for all golfers.”