Local Primary Schools make a Splash!
May 29, 2018
Children from 25 local primary schools made a splash when they took part in the annual Lisburn & Castlereagh Primary Schools Swimming Gala, held recently at Lagan Valley LeisurePlex.
The long established event was held over two sessions and saw over 400 children compete in P4 – P5 and P6 –P7 categories, making it one of the largest galas held in Northern Ireland. Swimming disciplines included backstroke, breast stroke, butterfly and freestyle as well as the highly competitive relay races.
During the event, Special Achievement Awards were presented to pupils Isabelle Mullin from Wallace Preparatory, Rebekah Cleland from Riverdale Primary School, Brendan O’Boyle from Ballymacward Primary School and Megan O’Neill from Forthill Primary School for their determination and dedication as part of swimming lessons programme throughout the year.
The P4-P5 freestyle relay was won by Wallace Preparatory with St Joseph’s Primary School achieving 2nd place and Friends Preparatory 3rd place. In the afternoon session, Friends Preparatory picked up 1st place in the P6-P7 medley, while Downshire Primary School secured a well-deserved 1st place in both the P6 and P7 free style relays.
Success continued for Downshire Primary School after securing first place in the overall schools event, taking home the prestigious champion’s title. Second prize was closely contended by Friends Preparatory with Harmony Hill Primary School achieving 3rd place.
Presenting the medals, the Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Councillor Tim Morrow said, “The aim of the gala is to offer children the opportunity to experience the fun of competitive swimming, while still enjoying being part of a school team. It is fantastic to see the friendships and positive team spirit amongst all the children and I hope the event will encourage many more to take up the sport recreationally or competitively.”
“I would like to thank the Royal Life Saving Society UK and Sportsmax for kindly sponsoring the event and the volunteers from SERC Lisburn for their amazing job helping with the timekeeping. Finally thank you to all the teachers and children for supporting the gala and helping to maintain the wonderful tradition of Primary School swimming in Lisburn & Castlereagh.”
Chairman of the Council’s Leisure & Community Development Committee, Alderman James Tinsley added, “With growing cases of obesity in children, the swimming gala provides a fantastic forum for children to engage in physical activity and take the first steps to incorporating regular exercise into their lives.
“Swimming is a life skill so it is important to encourage children to learn to swim, improve their technique and build their confidence in the water. While the swimming gala encourages children to strive for a medal, the overall message is about participation and cheering on every pupil until they cross the finishing line.
“I would like to thank the staff and swimming clubs at Lagan Valley LeisurePlex for organising such a successful event and look forward to building on the success again next year.”