EIGHT youngsters have triumphed in a demanding swimming challenge.

They received medals after attending Swim Kidz sessions at Hambleton Leisure Centre in Northallerton. The youngsters completed the ASA Honours and Gold Awards scheme.

The tasks included retrieving an object from the bottom of the pool, swimming sidestroke for 20 metres and swimming 500 metres doing surface dives through hoops four metres apart. All this had to be done in just 20 minutes.

"It is a great accolade for the children to achieve this award," said the centre's assistant manager Richard Boucher.

"It is so rewarding to see some of the children who started in the beginners' class progressing to the final stages of swimming lessons, something that has taken a lot of hard work and determination to complete."

Swimming lessons run throughout the week, offering not only 'kidz' lessons but pre-school swimming and adult sessions.

For more details call (01609) 777070.