Sportscotland has granted more than £1.2m to help improve swimming opportunities in Scotland in the year ahead.

Louise Martin, chair of sportscotland, said: "The benefits of being able to swim last a lifetime. Swimming starts out as a vital and potentially lifesaving skill and quickly becomes a fun and enjoyable activity to take part in with friends and family.

"It is also the ideal sport to improve fitness and health, particularly for older people."

Scottish Swimming will use the investment to pay for learn to swim programmes, community clubs and to support the development of the nation's athletes.

Maureen Campbell, chair of Scottish Swimming, said: "A key aim for a number of years has been on working in collaboration with clubs and local authorities to set up partnerships focused on coaching, water access, and sharing of best practice.

"Our attention to partnership working is critical to our latest initiative, the development of a new facilities strategy. Delivering against this strategy will rely heavily on the quality networks our sportscotland funded development and performance teams have established with the local communities, including all local authorities, leisure trusts, and other pool providers."

The £1,218,500 investment comprises £910,500 from the sportscotland lottery fund and £308,000 sportscotland funding from the Scottish Government.