SPORT-mad youngsters got the chance to sample a variety of different activities when Ulverston Leisure Centre held the latest of their holiday camps over the Christmas break.

A large number of children braved the cold weather over two days to participate in everything from swimming, football and tee-ball, to fun quizzes and playing on a bouncy castle during the sessions, which lasted for five hours.

This was all conducted under the watchful eye of coaches and staff from the leisure centre, and Hannah Paling was delighted with the success of the days.

“Most of the kids have been down before,” said Paling. “There were a few new faces – most of them local and we advertise in the schools.

“There are kids who are already doing tennis, swimming, or football or rugby down at the outdoor complex, so it's good in that sense to advertise it that way.

“It's a chance for them to try out new things and make friends as well. some of them already have their friends who come and that's why they come.

“Eight and over go swimming, under-eights don't, but there are all sorts of different things going on. They can choose what they want to do sometimes as well – they might not want to do the football, so they'll do something different – but they seem to enjoy it.”

The camps are set to return during the February half-term break, while there are plans to further expand the work done in individual sports like tennis and swimming, along with getting out into the community.

“We do some outreach as well, so we normally go to Broughton Victory Hall and run an activity day there just to get out to places where they don't have as much going on, and to save them travelling,” said Paling.

“We run swimming and tennis, and there are other things going on for the pre-school ages, like a ball skills session and a dance session.”