SHEPPEY is to get a teenage pregnancy officer to help combat an unusually high birth rate among girls on the island.

More than five per cent of girls aged 13 to 18 fall pregnant every year across the borough of Swale - and Sheppey's figure is still higher.

The borough as a whole has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy of any district in Kent.

Chief task of the pregnancy officer - a job funded by a successful Sport England bid - will be to encourage teenage girls to become involved with sport. There will be two female-only sports social clubs meeting weekly where girls will have the opportunity to try out different sports.

There will be regular coaching sessions, consultations and think-tanks. It will be possible for girls to take highly-subsidised courses to gain qualifications in sports coaching as well as in art, drama and music.

They will be able to go on to a number of careers, including holiday activities coaching and programmes linked to Swale schools and Leisure Connections, who operate sports centres in the borough.

Andy Sheen, Swale Borough Council's sports development officer, master-minded the bid, one of only two out of 19 to be successful.

Tasha Morley, project officer for Sport England's Active Communities Development Fund, said his project scored the highest rating she had ever reviewed.

Mr Sheen said the teenage pregnancy officer's role was a tremendous opportunity to provide a number of quality sporting features that could be sustained across the Island.

"The beauty of the project will be to offer weekly sporting opportunities that can then be taken into the workforce in many of the paid coaching programmes that the council is involved with."