Queen of the South FC, Scottish Water and The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) Trust have been delivering a brand new education programme to selected Dumfries & Galloway primary schools.
The programme was marked by an event today (Wednesday) at Queen of the South’s Indoor Arena at Palmerston Park. The event was attended by the club’s left back Kevin Holt.
Kevin said: “This is a great education programme of real value to young people and has been a great success. More than ever we have to ensure that we get the message across that exercise and hydration are essential parts of a healthy lifestyle.
“Doing it at this level, when young people are at a critical stage in their development, is a great idea. Our team at Queen of the South are proud to stand side-by-side with Scottish Water and the SPFL trust in delivering the H2-O programme”.
The H2-O programme focuses on the relationship between water, hydration and physical activity. It combines a physical and mental workout for pupils, emphasising the importance of staying hydrated and physically active.
Each 90-minute session is delivered by professional club community football coaches who are affiliated with the Scottish Professional Football League. The session is split into two parts and involves a 40-minute interactive classroom based session focusing on ‘The Water Cycle’ and ‘Our Bodies and Water’.
This covers how water is essential to our lives, how the water we drink is drawn from and returned to the environment in a continuous cycle, and the importance of staying hydrated.
Pupils then take part in a 40-minute physical activity session which involves dribbling a football around cones in different ways depending on what water-related word is shouted out.
After the session each pupil is given a certificate confirming they have taken part in the programme, a sports water bottle to help them to drink water and keep hydrated, and a voucher for a free family match ticket to a Queen of the South game at Palmerston Park.
To deliver the programme, Scottish Water and SPFL Trust are working in partnership with another two clubs, East Fife FC and Elgin City FC. The programme, which is absolutely free for schools to take part in, will reach a total of around 3,000 young people across the three local areas once completed.
Billy Singh, General Manager at the SPFL Trust, said: “It is crucial kids know the importance of hydration and physical activity from a young age. We were keen to get involved from the start and help spread the message as football is a great way to teach school children important life lessons in a fun, enjoyable way.
“Local football clubs do great work in the community and it is great that East Fife, Elgin City and Queen of the South are on board with this project. At the end of it all the pupils will get a chance to get out on a Saturday and support their local club. ”
Bill Elliot, Regional Community Manager, Scottish Water, said: “Working with the SPFL trust helps us to inform and educate children to learn about the world of water that we all need every day. We are investing in future generations so that they understand the value of Scottish drinking water and the vital role that drinking water plays in keeping us properly hydrated.”
“This is an exciting programme to be part of and is part of our on-going commitment to education at Scottish Water.
“Our website has dedicated pages, modules and activities to download at www.scottishwater.co.uk/education which support learning and teaching for the school curriculum in Scotland.
“We are also involved with the Water Ways exhibition at Glasgow Science Centre and Go Safe Scotland, a safety initiative for Scottish Schools.”
Pictured LtoR. Kyle Wordsworth aged 8, Aidan Cooney aged 10, Kevin Holt (Queen of the South player), Rhea Gillan aged 8 and Katie Cochran aged 8.
