STAR swimmer Daniel Rushton was a fresh-faced 15-year-old when he hit the headlines for one of his greatest achievements in the pool.

He overcome continuous downpours to swim 1,400 lengths of Haltwhistle‘s outdoor swimming pool during the spring of 2010.

The 21-mile journey was the equivalent distance of swimming the English Channel, to fund a sports and cultural tour of Barbados.

The accolade saw the teenager lift the Edward Waite Trophy for young sportsman of the year at the Tynedale Sports Council Awards.

Fast forward five years, and Daniel had become an accomplished senior swimmer, having twice competed in the Scottish national championships.

He was a respected swimming coach, and was also on his way to becoming a fully qualified personal trainer.

Tributes poured in for Daniel after he was tragically killed in a road accident in Newcastle on January 27, at the age of 20.

Family and friends packed out an emotional funeral service at Hexham Abbey, where Daniel, who grew up in Haydon Bridge, was described as someone who always put the welfare of others before himself.

A minute‘s silence at a county swimming event at Sunderland Aquatic Centre was observed by competitors and officials, who wore t-shirts bearing the slogan ’You‘ve got a friend in me - Daniel 2016.’

Mum Lisa Rushton said: “Daniel had a lot of love for all of his family and friends.

“He also had a wonderful sense of humour. He liked to dress up and do daft things, and he was always happy.”

Daniel was born at Salisbury, in Wiltshire, but moved to Haydon Bridge at the age of one.

He attended the village’s Shaftoe Trust First School, Allendale Middle School, and Haydon Bridge High School.

He joined Tynedale Swimming Club at the age of 12, and his abilities in the pool soon led to county and regional honours.

Daniel represented the West Tyne for rugby while at school, and was always keen to try new things, joining a scheme for young firefighters as a teenager.

On leaving school at 18, he worked at the Za Za Bazaar restaurant in Newcastle.

But this was essentially to fund his fledgling career as a swimming coach, and Daniel secured his ‘Level 2’ teaching badge while working with the Aquajets club, in Newcastle.

In 2014, Daniel jumped at the chance to join ‘Camp America‘ in Texas, and spent two-and-a-half months in America teaching youngsters.

Lisa said: “He took a lot of pride in teaching young children how to swim, and helping them to improve. He was very popular.

”He loved to be in the pool with them. He was like a big kid himself, but he always put everyone else before himself.”

Daniel, a qualified lifeguard, also worked in the pool at Hexham’s Wentworth leisure centre, as well as Fenham swimming pool.

He was also a competent skier, and while on the slopes during a holiday in Austria two years ago, met his girlfriend Emma Reay, who moved from her home in Surrey to live in the North-East with Daniel.

Emma said the pair had been planning to visit Australia in 2017 for a 12-month travelling adventure.

She added: “Daniel was a lovely person who absolutely loved the things he did, and he wanted to combine his swimming commitments with being a personal trainer. He is greatly missed by us all.“

Daniel also also assisted Allendale Primary School with sports coaching.

Donations at Daniel‘s funeral were made to Tiny Lives at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Daniel also leaves his dad, Paul, and brother Connor (16), himself a promising swimmer who was inspired to take up the sport by his older brother.

People can still make donations at www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Rushton4/