Scotland’s most decorated Olympic athlete – and recently awarded OBE holder – will give one lucky school class in Lanarkshire a water safety lesson in Scottish Water’s inaugural environmental challenge aimed at young “eco-champions”.
Swimming legend Duncan Scott, an ambassador for the Learn to Swim programme between Scottish Swimming and Scottish Water, will lead youngsters who come first in the Generation H 2 O Making Waves Challenge.
In between his busy training schedule, as he prepares for the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in July, Duncan will take part in a safety-focused Scottish Swimming lesson for the winners of the challenge for S1-3 secondary students.
In the first year of the challenge, secondary school pupils in Lanarkshire will be able to compete for a chance to meet Duncan and get a water safety lesson from Scottish Swimming by completing the Global Water Project resource and creating a social media post or campaign to protect Scotland’s water.
Schoolchildren throughout Scotland are participating in Generation H 2 O – Scottish Water’s free national schools programme designed to inspire responsible water citizens, encouraging young people to celebrate and protect the nation’s water.
Younger students across Lanarkshire can also take part in a second initiative – the Make a Splash Challenge for P5-7 pupils, where the winning class will receive a trip to a national or regional swimming facility to participate in a fun “in-pool” session, water safety workshop and a behind-the-scenes venue tour to learn about sustainability, as well as a short video from Duncan.
Peter Farrer, chief operating officer for Scottish Water, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Scottish Swimming to offer this reward to young people who have demonstrated a commitment to protecting Scotland’s water.
“Water safety is a crucial part of being a responsible water citizen, to be aware of the dangers and know vital safety skills.
“We hope this challenge will invite young people to participate and provide a fun and exciting experience for them.
“Scottish Water is proud to support both the Learn to Swim National Framework and the new National Primary School Swimming Framework.
“And we are thrilled to have our Learn to Swim Ambassador, Duncan Scott, support the initiative.”
CEO of Scottish Swimming, John Lunn, added: “We’re proud to support Scottish Water to help inspire responsible water citizens in and around water.
“This is a welcome addition to our Learn to Swim National Framework – a partnership between Scottish Water and Scottish Swimming with a shared vision to create ‘Generation Swim’ – a generation of confident, safer and competent swimmers, who will also get to experience the wider health and social benefits that swimming can offer, as well as vital life skills.”
Visit here to read full terms and conditions and details on how to enter the primary challenge and here for the full terms and conditions and information on the secondary challenge.
*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.