Shirley Ascott

London-born Shirley Ascott was sent to the north-west of England as an evacuee during World War II, and between 1941-48 attended Fleetwood Grammar School, where she became the Head Girl. After leaving school she returned home and found work in the aircraft industry at Hounslow.

Ascott took up canoeing in 1949 and joined the Richmond Canoe Club. In 1951 she was runner-up in the K-1 500 National Championships, and qualified for a place on the 1952 Olympic squad after beating British champion Joyce Webb in the Olympic trial at the Welsh Harp. Unfortunately, Ascott was eliminated in her opening heat in Helsinki. A month after the Games, however, Ascott and Brenda Millbourn won the K-2 500 metre national title at Marlow. Ascott married fellow canoeist Clifford Line in 1954.