AS temperatures rise, youngsters in West Fife can cool off with free swimming throughout the summer holidays.

School’s out on Friday and the Fife and Sports Leisure Trust have extra funding from Fife Council for their ‘Splash Out for Nowt’ scheme.

It means those aged 17 and under can swim for free at Carnegie Leisure Centre and the trust’s other pools until the new term begins in August.

Council cash also means the trust can deliver their ‘Quid-a-Kid’ programme which allows juniors to play racquet sports for £1 during the holidays.

Councillor Mark Hood said, “It’s the summer of the Commonwealth Games in Scotland and what better way to inspire young people to get active than offer up free swims for the holidays?

“Last year’s uptake was great with young Fifers clocking up over 62,000 free sessions.

“It would be great to see the same interest this year at a time when there is such a sporting focus on Scotland.

“With interest in racquet sports on the increase, I hope the low-cost sessions during the holidays will encourage even more schoolchildren to give it a go!” Trust chief executive Ed Watson said the initiatives are part of their drive to get more young people active more of the time.

He added, “We would encourage as many young people and families to visit the trust’s facilities during the summer holidays to experience the choice and quality of programmes and facilities on offer.” Attendance figures for last year show there were almost 2.5 million visits by under-16s – up by more than 288,000 from the previous 12 months.