A SENIOR Beath High School pupil will experience the challenge of coaching abroad after embarking on a trip of a lifetime to Sweden.

Declan Pierce is one of 22 pupils from secondary schools across Fife that jetted out to Scandinavia on Sunday to work on placement neat Stockholm throughout the Easter holidays.

Some of the Kingdom's brightest young sports volunteers have been given the opportunity through their work with Fife Active Schools' ambassador programme, a nationwide initiative that is supported by sportscotland.

The Active Schools Ambassador programme is designed to develop young leaders who can inspire and motivate others to take part in sport and physical activity, providing greater sporting opportunities for participants and volunteers to grow all aspects of sport in Fife.

The senior pupils, who will be supported on the trip by Woodmill, Queen Anne and Waid Academy Active Schools coordinators Louise White, Callum Imray and Graeme Duncan, will be based at the world-renowned Bosön sports facility, home to national sport in Sweden.

Declan and his fellow ambassadors will allocated placements at sports clubs surrounding the Stockholm area to coach local children, as well as being given the chance to learn Swedish and take part in a number of cultural activities.

This is the second year that Fife Active Schools have organised the programme and the trip is the culmination of a gruelling interview process and numerous training evenings, as well as pupils' ongoing commitments to volunteering and coaching.

Pam Colburn, Active Schools manager with Fife Council, said: "This is a terrific opportunity for 22 Active Schools Ambassadors from Fife to visit another country, examine the practises used by coaches and volunteers in Swedish sport, and hopefully gain some knowledge which they can then bring back and use in Scotland.

"Active Schools and its ambassadors play a crucial role in providing more and better opportunities for children and young people to participate in sport and physical activity. This partnership between sportscotland and Fife Council is having a positive impact in activity levels, and I’m sure the Active Schools Ambassadors will learn invaluable lessons and enjoy themselves during their visit to Sweden."

Ian McGregor, sportscotland partnership manager, added: "This is a terrific opportunity for 22 Active Schools Ambassadors from Fife to visit another country, examine the practises used by coaches and volunteers in Swedish sport, and hopefully gain some knowledge which they can then bring back and use in Scotland.

"Active Schools and its ambassadors play a crucial role in providing more and better opportunities for children and young people to participate in sport and physical activity. This partnership between sportscotland and Fife Council is having a positive impact in activity levels, and I’m sure the Active Schools Ambassadors will learn invaluable lessons and enjoy themselves during their visit to Sweden."

To follow the ambassadors in Sweden and to find out more about Active Schools Fife, visit @FifeActiveSch on Twitter.