A YOUNG swimmer at St Bees School recently competed in a county-wide swimming competition and came third.

Denys , who is a full-time boarder from Ukraine, came third in the 1,500m freestyle race - the achievement crowns him as the third fastest in Cumbria for his division.

Denys used to swim at home in Ukraine for nine years; however, he stopped competitive swimming during his move to Cumbria. This marks Denys' first race in two years since starting to swim again in September 2023.

St Bees School said: "To take third place straight away shows that he hasn't lost his determination and plans to regain his first-place titles again very quickly."

Denys swims for Copeland and hopes to take part in many more competitions for the club. His coach said that since joining he has made a great impression on his teammates and made some brilliant friendships.

"His coach describe him as 'courteous and polite' which St Bees School said "only adds to just how proud we are of Denys."

They continued: "As a school, we are immensely proud of Denys and this fantastic achievement, we take a huge amount of pride in supporting our students in their extra-curricular activities outside of school."

Jackson Jardine aged 17 who represents Cockermouth swimming club came first and Fergus Bell, 16, who swims for Ulverston came second.