Kids canoe on Kendal Youth Zone's first out-of-town trip at Broughton

Twelve children took part in an activity day at Kepplewray, Broughton, on Sunday. 

They stacked and climbed crates and canoed in an event that came courtesy of outside funding. 

Town councillor Adam Edwards, who heads up the Kendal Youth Zone project, emphasised the importance of making days out such as these cost-free for families in light of rising prices and the effects of the pandemic. 

"The cost of living is putting up barriers where they don't need to be," said Cllr Edwards, 49.

"Low-income houses are not going to be able to do things like this, so it's incredibly important that we can offer it for free."

Funding for the day at Kepplewray, said Cllr Edwards, came from Cumbria Community Foundation, while funding for the minibus was provided by the county council. 

"The kids absolutely loved it," he said. 

CHALLENGE: The children took to the water in canoes

"They were a group of kids that didn't necessarily know each other and they followed the instructions really well.

"It was quite amazing to see this group of individuals working together in such a great way."

The Youth Zone has sessions at Kendal climbing wall beginning later this month, and Cllr Edwards is hoping to return to Kepplewray in May.

The project is gathering pace after having its operations curtailed by the pandemic.

The club now meets once a month at Castle Street Community Centre, with the first of these sessions being held in November of last year. 

Events were held online during the lockdowns of the last two years.

STEADY: The children took part in crate-stacking at Kepplewray, Broughton

Cllr Edwards said his own children had motivated him to throw himself into youth work.

"I'm fortunate not to be on the breadline, not to be struggling with money," he said.

"I do know other families that work really hard, that haven't got the money to do stuff with their kids, so it's really important to me that kids get the opportunity."

Visit 'Kendal Youth Zone' on Facebook for more information on attending events or to contact Cllr Edwards, who said the club was on the lookout for volunteers.