Fife school children are helping to plug a national shortage of swimming instructors and lifeguards.
Twenty-one pupils of Bell Baxter High in Cupar and Madras College in St Andrews have completed qualifications in the first programme of its kind in the region.
It is hoped they will go on to teach other youngsters to swim and help cut waiting lists for lessons.
Four of them are already working as lifeguards at pools in Cupar and St Andrews.
And organisers hope the boost to staff numbers will lead to longer opening hours at both sports centres.
Hours have been reduced since Covid as operators Fife Sports and Leisure Trust struggles with staffing numbers and financial challenges.
And several groups held a protest outside the Cupar centre earlier this year.
Helping with staffing issues
The training was run by Fife Schools Aquatics Group, which hopes to get swimming back on the school curriculum.
The group is made up of Active Schools, Cupar and District Swimming Club, East Fife Sports Council and the trust.
Hilary Lumsden, of the sports council, said it had raised £13,500 to get the new course off the ground.
“We set up training and offered 12 places on the swimming instructor course and 12 on the lifeguard course.
“Twenty-one got to the end of the courses and we’re really chuffed.
“Four of the 12 lifeguards have already gone into positions with the trust in Cupar and St Andrews.”
Hilary said the new qualifications had many benefits.
“It means there are more teachers available and it’s helping with staffing issues,” she said.
“We were spurred on by the cuts to opening hours in Cupar and St Andrews pools and hopefully this will help with that too.
“We’ve shown what can be done and we’ve managed to do way more than we planned.
“The only worry now is getting funding to continue it.”
‘This is a fantastic outcome’
Pupils interested in taking part in the project had to apply and went through an interview process.
Emma Walker, chief executive of Fife Sports and Leisure Trust, said: “This programme, delivered over the summer, demonstrates the positive results from partnership working.
“The offer was made to Bell Baxter High School and Madras College students and so far, four new members of staff have been recruited.
“Additional candidates are going through the recruitment process.
“This is a fantastic outcome given the nationwide shortage of qualified swim teachers and lifeguards.
“The response from local students has been fantastic and I would like to congratulate them for their efforts.”
Conversation