An Olympic star joined dozens of Suffolk primary school pupils in making a splash ahead of the Great East Swim.
Youngsters from Ipswich High School and Holbrook Primary School made waves in Woolverstone today with 2012 silver medallist Michael Jamieson.
Competing on who could swim the furthest, the pupils took on the Great East Swim Schools challenge ahead of the county’s biggest open water swimming event tomorrow.
Michael helped the pupils perfect their technique in the water, offering hints and tips during a question and answer session.
The event took place ahead of a packed weekend of swimming in Suffolk - the Great East Swim returns to Alton Water near Holbrook for the eighth year tomorrow.
More than 2,000 people will watch as people of all ages take on a range of distances from 250m to the challenging 10k marathon swim.
Great Swim director Alex Jackson said: “We’re very excited to be back at Alton Water for the Great East Swim for another great day of swimming.
“Swimming is an important skill and it is something that we also aim to engage people in from an early age.
“Through the Great East Swim community outreach programme we hope to get young people in Suffolk excited about swimming and confident to take on challenges like the Great East Swim in the future.”
New for 2017 is the Great SwimRun, which challenges teams of two to navigate across the Suffolk countryside on both land and water.
Today’s schools challenge formed part of the event’s outreach programme, run in partnership with Suffolk County Council and Suffolk NORSE.
Cabinet member for health Tony Goldson said: “Suffolk County Council is delighted to be supporting and promoting the Great East Swim and we are looking forward to welcoming all swimmers to our beautiful county.
“An event like this provides a unique opportunity to inspire people to take up more physical activity and lead healthier lifestyles which will contribute directly to our ambition to make Suffolk the most active county.
“The event also promises to provide a boost to local business and the tourism economy creating a real and lasting legacy for the county.
For more details, visit the Great Swim website.
Keep an eye on our homepage from 8am tomorrow for photographs and video of the event.
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