Latest news with #DuncanScott
Glasgow Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Rutherglen school named winner of Scottish Water competition
Trinity High School's Eco Club was named the winner of Scottish Water's 2025 Making Waves Challenge, part of the Generation H₂O programme. The school impressed judges with its campaign on the environmental impacts of artificial grass, which can cause surface water flooding and microplastics in water environments. Read more: 'What do you call a wizard's dog?': Pupil reaches joke competition final The campaign was promoted both internally and externally, engaging with Rutherglen Amateur Swimming Club and a local Scouts group. The school was selected as the winner from 34 entries across seven schools in the Central Belt. Luke McGowan, teacher at Trinity High School, said: "The Eco Committee were thrilled to win the challenge and have face-to-face time with Duncan. "They are passionate about protecting the environment and the Making Waves Challenge was a great way to put their passion into action – even better that we won." As a reward for their victory, Trinity High School received a visit from Duncan Scott, Scotland's most decorated Olympic athlete, as well as a water safety lesson from Scottish Swimming. Duncan said: "It's great to see the enthusiasm and dedication of the young people to protect the water environment and playing their part in being a responsible water citizen." The Making Waves Challenge is part of Scottish Water's Generation H₂O programme, which aims to inspire young people across Scotland to celebrate and protect the nation's water. Read more: Glasgow's unsung WWII heroes honoured for bravery Lorna Neilson, manager of the Generation H₂O programme, said: "We'd like to thank all the schools that participated in the Making Waves Challenge. "We were very impressed by the quality of all the entries and, in particular the entry from Trinity High School and we were thrilled to have Duncan Scott on board to help celebrate the school's success." 'Scottish Water is Scottish Swimming's Learn to Swim partner, and Duncan is our Learn to Swim Ambassador, working together really is a great way to reward young people for their efforts in becoming responsible water citizens – in and around water.'
Daily Record
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Trinity High win visit from Scotland's most decorated Olympian Duncan Scott
The Eco Club at the school won Scottish Water's 2025 Making Waves Challenge. A secondary school in Rutherglen has won Scottish Water's 2025 Making Waves Challenge as part of an education programme to encourage young people to protect the future of the nation's water. The Eco Club at Trinity High was named as the winner of the challenge - which is part of the utility's Generation H₂O programme - after demonstrating strong engagement and creating a campaign about protecting our water environment. The school beat off competition from a total of 34 entries from seven schools across the Central Belt and was rewarded with an inspiring visit from swimmer Duncan Scott, Scotland's most decorated Olympic athlete, and a water safety lesson from Scottish Swimming. The Trinity High team demonstrated a well-rounded campaign about the impacts of artificial grass which can lead to surface water flooding as well as microplastics in Scotland's water environment. And the school's Eco Club promoted their campaign internally and externally, engaging with Rutherglen Amateur Swimming Club and a local Scouts group. A panel of judges representing Scottish Water and Scottish Swimming were impressed by the calibre of all entries. Scottish Water Generation H₂O programme, which the Making Waves Challenge is part of, inspires young people across Scotland to become part of a movement to celebrate and protect Scotland's water, creating responsible water citizens. By working with Scottish Swimming, the programme also demonstrates the importance for everyone to be responsible in and around water. On winning the competition, Trinity High teacher Luke McGowan, said: 'The Eco Committee were thrilled to win the challenge and have face to face time with Duncan. They are passionate about protecting the environment and the Making Waves Challenge was a great way to put their passion into action – even better that we won.' After the visit, Duncan Scott, said: 'It's great to see the enthusiasm and dedication of the young people to protect the water environment and playing their part in being a responsible water citizen.' Lorna Neilson, Generation H2O programme manager, said: 'We'd like to thank all the schools that participated in the Making Waves Challenge. We were very impressed by the quality of all the entries and in particular the entry from Trinity High School and we were thrilled to have Duncan Scott on board to help celebrate the school's success. 'Scottish Water is Scottish Swimming's Learn to Swim partner, and Duncan is our Learn to Swim Ambassador, working together really is a great way to reward young people for their efforts in becoming responsible water citizens – in and around water.' Generation H₂O is designed to inspire young people to become part of a movement to celebrate and protect the nation's water, one of the most valuable and precious resources, creating responsible 'water citizens' for a flourishing Scotland and connecting them to Scottish Water by raising awareness of the company and its crucial role across Scotland. It gives learners across Scotland the tools to protect Scotland's precious water. Designed for Scottish classrooms, the programme teaches students about water conservation in a way that connects to their local environment. All resources and available to download at Generation H₂O was launched by Scottish Water in September 2023 and, so far, 920 of teachers have registered across Scotland, reaching 54,127 young people. *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
Scotsman
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Why Scotland must take Olympian Duncan Scott's 'generation can't swim' warning seriously
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Duncan Scott is Scotland's most decorated Olympian and Great Britain's most decorated Olympic swimmer. So on the subject of swimming, it's fair to say he's worth listening to. Giving evidence to a Scottish Parliament committee that's considering a petition by sporting body Scottish Swimming for extra funding to stop pools from closing, Scott told MSPs: 'I fear that that 'generation swim' idea from Scottish Swimming is going to be a generation of 'cannot swim', and our drowning figures are only going to worsen.' He added that Alloa Leisure Bowl and Bo'ness swimming pool, where he had trained, had been shut down. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The closure of swimming pools is a sign of two things: how far away Scotland is from the idea of creating a genuine sporting culture, and how local councils have been starved of cash to the point where they have been forced to take the political flak for scrapping much-loved facilities. Swimmer Duncan Scott has warned about the dangers of closing Scotland's pools (Picture: Zac Goodwin) | PA Short-sighted politicians In a written submission to the committee, Cosla said that running swimming pools provided 'a challenge to local authorities facing severe budget pressures' and they needed 'fair and flexible funding' to keep them open. The problem with these cutbacks – to what may seem like optional extras to some short-sighted politicians – is that they have a significant long-term cost. Scott is right to point out that people who cannot swim are more likely to drown. But people who do not get into the habit of regular exercise are also more likely to develop chronic health conditions which limit their ability to work and come with a heavy cost to the NHS. So an unhealthy country is also likely to be a poor one, a situation that makes funding for sporting facilities more difficult, a downward spiral we must avoid. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scotland's most decorated Olympian Duncan Scott warns drowning figures will 'worsen' due to pool closures
The Olympic athlete questioned how the next generation of sporting heroes will be able to emerge in Scotland Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Olympic swimmer Duncan Scott has warned the number of drownings in Scotland's waters will only increase as a result of pool closures. The athlete, who is Scotland's most decorated Olympian, also questioned how the next generation of sporting heroes would be able to emerge. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Scott is a "learn to swim" ambassador for Scottish Swimming, the national governing body for swimming, diving and water polo. Duncan Scott | PA John Lunn, the chief executive of Scottish Swimming, said the organisation 'wholeheartedly' supports the idea of placing a statutory duty on authorities to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn how to swim. Both men were giving evidence on Wednesday to Holyrood's citizen participation and public petitions committee, which is considering a petition by Scottish Swimming calling on MSPs to 'recognise the value of swimming pools and provide financial relief to help keep pools open'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Lunn said Scotland has the highest drowning statistics in the UK, adding: 'You can't draw a cause and correlative effect in relation to learning to swim and school swimming in that respect, or public pools, but there's definitely an impact there. "As pools start to close and come under threat and are not replaced, we will see in the years to come, I believe, higher instances. Those statistics will not improve, they will only get worse." Mr Scott, who is Great Britain's most decorated Olympic swimmer, said Scotland punches above its weight in swimming. However, he said some of the pools he trained in, such as the Alloa Leisure Bowl and Bo'ness swimming pool, have now closed. "It does make me think, with my athlete head on, where these next athletes are going to come from,' he said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Scott told MSPs: "As an athlete, I always think it's so special and I've been very grateful that I've been able to compete at so many different home - as in, the UK - competitions, but then also in Scotland as well, hosting European championships and the Commonwealth Games. But it makes me wonder, what will this legacy come to if there's a lack of pools in this country? "In England, in 2023, there were 382 pools that had closed since 2010, and as many were nearing the end of their lifespan. And due to this a swimming pool support fund and specific cross-working group for swimming was set up because of this such vital life skill. "So what do we do in Scotland to get the same level of focus and support? Without this, I fear that that 'generation swim' idea from Scottish Swimming is going to be a generation of 'cannot swim', and our drowning figures are only going to worsen. "So I think having a joint government taskforce with the Scottish Government and [council body] Cosla to assess the investment needs for pools would be a great outcome." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Scott 'hungry as ever' before GB Championships
Aquatics GB Swimming Championships When: 15-20 April Where: London Aquatics Centre Coverage: Each night of the championships including the finals of every event will be available on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app from 18.45 BST. Scottish swimmer Duncan Scott says he is "as hungry as ever" as he aims to build on an already glittering career at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships. Scott, 27, helped Great Britain win gold in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay and claimed silver in the men's 200m individual medley at last year's Paris Olympics, taking his overall Olympic medal tally to eight. Despite becoming Scotland's most decorated Olympian, alongside a raft of other major championship medals, Scott is determined to further swell his silverware collection. "I am the most decorated silver medallist at the Olympic games so I have had plenty of seconds and nearly moments and that comes with a lot of motivation in itself," Scott told BBC Scotland. "I am as hungry as ever. "On one hand I have achieved a lot and I am really grateful for what I have been able to do. Over my career I have been able to achieve a really high level of success for a long period of time, but on the other side I have fallen short so many times. "In some ways you can say it is a positive because it has kept me hungry for this entire time, it allows me to keep pushing. "I find that quite exciting as well. There is so much that I still want to do and achieve in the sport and think that I am capable of doing that as well." Olympians to battle for titles at GB Championships BBC to broadcast Aquatics GB Swimming Championships Scott, who is working under new coach Ben Higson, will be among the star attractions at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships which get under way on Tuesday. Qualification places for this summer's World Championships in Singapore are up for grabs, although the pressure is off in that regard for Scott, who has been pre-selected for the 200m IM and the 4x200m freestyle relay events. The Glasgow-born swimmer is getting back up to speed in the pool after taking three months off at the end of last year. It is a decision Scott believes can only benefit him, although he admits he did get "really out of shape" in his spell away from the sport. "It's the first time I had taken that kind of break other than an enforced break during Covid, so it was just quite a nice time to just totally switch off," Scott explained. "I probably still don't realise quite how good the break was. I would do it again but I probably wouldn't get as out of shape as I did, it was three months and I managed to get myself really out of shape pretty fast. "I think a break after an Olympic cycle is really important not only for the physical side of it but mentally to either regroup, assess what you have done well, assess what you have not done well and also what you want achieve."
