In the swing of it.

Young golfers from Cilfrew Primary School in the Neath Valley have enjoyed free golfing lessons thanks to a grant from the Sports Council for Wales.

Aberdulais golf range was awarded £1000 of National Lottery funding from the Community Chest fund.

Neath Port Talbot Council Leader Ali Thomas and Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones visited the sporting project yesterday (Wednesday) to watch the pupils swing into action.

The money meant the range could buy junior golf clubs to offer pupils from local schools a 20 week block of free lessons.

The project, facilitated by the Council's Physical Activity and Sports Service, has now been extended to primary schools and every school in Neath Port Talbot has been invited to visit the range and have free lessons.

Plans in the pipeline will see a golf teacher from the range going into schools for golf sessions and a school festival planned for the near future.

Teeing off with the pupils, Council Leader Ali Thomas, says, "Sporting projects like this help to keep young people active and take up exercise that, in turn, will bring them better health in the future.

"This golf facility gives them the chance to take up a different sport bringing many happy hours of enjoyment and may even inspire them to make a career from golf.

"I would like to thank the Minister for visiting today and the Sports Council for Wales for the grant which enables this project to flourish in the community."

Sports Council for Wales Chair, Philip Carling, added, "These excellent projects are extremely successful examples of how sport and physical recreation can bring communities together and play a vital role in boosting the health and wellbeing of young people and adults alike in Wales. With the ongoing support of the Welsh Assembly Government, the National Lottery and Local Authorities, we will continue to encourage schemes such as these across the country in our bid to help more people to become more active."