Scottish swimmer Duncan Scott visited the Port Seton Centre for the launch of the Royal Bank/NatWest Thrive programme.

The Olympic champion, who is Great Britain's most decorated swimmer at the games, took part in a question-and-answer session and spoke about his experiences of training, school and the dedication required to achieve his goals.

The pupils were grateful to hear from Team GB's most decorated Olympic swimmer, Duncan Scott (Image: Preston Lodge High School)

Gavin Clark, headteacher at Preston Lodge High School (PLHS), said the project felt "particularly worthwhile" for the youngsters.

He added: "This impressive group of students helped to design the day and engaged with everyone at the launch really well, making sure that the voice of young people remains central to the project.

"They also really enjoyed meeting a real-life Olympian and benefited enormously from chatting with Duncan Scott about motivation and focus.

"This is such a great project and we are really pleased that our students are playing a leading role in such a capable way."

Band members provided musical entertainment during the Thrive programme launch (Image: Preston Lodge High School)

His appearance was the highlight of the launch, which followed work by community champions from PLHS over the summer holiday.

Pupils trialled workshops from the programme and helped shape activities designed to develop practical money skills among other young people.

The sessions focus on real-world situations including managing a household budget, fundraising for local causes and learning about well-known, local entrepreneurs.

Young people took part in practical budgeting during the launch (Image: Preston Lodge High School)

Jordan Irvine, community development officer, gave those attending a taste of the programme by leading a “budget battle” workshop, where groups created their own

The launch also heard from YouthLink Scotland chief executive Tim Frew and Kalonde Kasengle, co-chair of the East Lothian Community Planning Partnership’s Money Matters Poverty Working Group, who highlighted the importance of talking about money and listened to the youngsters' experiences of financial issues.

The launch marked the next stage of the programme following the work carried out by the secondary school pupils over the summer trial.