FRESH from his daredevil dive on Britain’s Got Talent, Peter Waterfield was in Poole inspiring youngsters to swim.

The Olympic diver cut the ribbon to officially open the swimming pool at Talbot Combined School, Wallisdown, and urged the youngsters to “Use it and enjoy it”.

In between training sessions, the 32-year-old Southampton-based diver, who won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and partnered Tom Daley in the synchro diving at the London Olympics, showed off his dry land skills to the delighted youngsters.

Back flips in the hall brought cheers from pupils, he wore his medals, spoke of his four Olympic Games and urged them to swim.

“Swimming is a life skill, not just a sport,” he said and spoke of how he got involved when his dad, who took him fishing when he was about nine, could not swim. “If I fell in, he couldn’t go in after me.”

Impressed with the pool, which has undergone a £40,000 refurbishment after being closed for two years, he helped 20 award-winning youngsters, whose posters decorate it and be the first to splash around in the pool.

“Getting them to be able to swim properly is important,” he said. “It’s a great thing to have at a school. And if they have the talent they can go far.”

Training for the World Championships in July, he has been under-taking motivational talks as well as diving off a 15m board into a three metre deep tank in the popular TV talent show.

He and the La Quebrada High Divers, one of whom had set himself on fire, did not make it through to the next round but he said: “It was great fun to do.”

Headteacher Kate Curtis said: “We are really proud of our pool and we want the children and the community to use it. It’s great to have this right on their doorstep.” And she appealed for any local businesses who wanted to help with the funding to get in touch.

“It’s great to see it back,” said former chairman of governors Gordon Barber.