HE came, he swam, he conquered.

A Southampton granddad is celebrating after winning five gold medals at the World Transplant Games in Bangkok this month.

Super fit swimmer Howard Waters even managed to set a new world record for the Super Veteran 50m Freestyle event.

The 60-year-old will now add these medals to his already bulging collection of 46 gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals that he has won for his country in numerous transplant games.

Doctors advised Howard to take up swimming as a way of keeping fit after having a life saving heart transplant at the age of 51.

But for the modest former chartered surveyor it's not the glory of the medals that spurns him on, but the opportunity to raise the profile of the severe shortage of organ donors in the UK.

Howard, of Edwin Jones Green, said: "I'm very pleased as I had two personal best times. I think the British team excelled itself and we got a lot of interest in Thailand for what we are doing. So it should increase a lot of organ donation which is the whole point of the enterprise.

"I missed out on another world record by 0.6 of a second but it gives me something to aim for next time".

The UK team was the largest ever sent to the World Transplant Games and did exceptionally well coming first in the overall medal table beating their main rivals the USA and Australia.

The games were opened by the King of Thailand's sister, her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, who is the patron of the Thailand Kidney Foundation.

Howard, who trains at Southampton's Quays Swimming pool several times a week, donated his first gold medal from the World Transplant Games in Kobe, Japan, to the family of the donor who supplied him a heart.

Howard will be next be competing in the European Heart and Lung Games that are being held next year in Vichy, France.

The next World Transplant Games will be held in 2009 on the Gold Coast of Australia.

To become an organ donor visit www.uktransplant.org.uk or call 0845 60 60 400.