YOUNGSTERS and families in Chester enjoyed lots of outdoor fun during a series of half-term activities organised by Sanctuary Housing.

Events kicked off with activity sessions at Sycamore Field, Lache, where young residents learned scooter and skateboarding skills and enjoyed football training with coaches from Chester FC.

There was also the opportunity to try out ‘Panna’ street football and play video games with local police and community safety wardens.

One of the most popular events of the week was the Sycamore Field Day, which offered visitors of all ages the chance to meet birds of prey brought along by Heritage Falconry, make their own musical instruments and take part in a variety of family-friendly games and activities.

In addition, more than 100 people enjoyed an open day at Lache Allotment, off Oxford Road, where they met spiders, snakes and giant snails provided by The Creepy Crawly Show.

Residents also enjoyed a warming lunch of soup and jacket potatoes and had the opportunity to plant seeds, paint bird boxes and make their own pizzas from scratch.

Lache Allotment is one of four urban Growing Spaces located on disused garage sites across Chester, where Sanctuary works with Hoole Allotments and Garden Association (HAGA) to offer local residents the opportunity to grow their own produce and make the most of their local green space.

Michele Payne, Sanctuary’s resident involvement manager, said: “It has been wonderful to see so many people of all ages enjoy being active and outdoors over the half-term holiday.

“We are committed to helping our residents learn new skills and lead healthy, happy lives and community events such as these are an important part of that. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended and to all those who supported the events and made them such a success.”

These events were supported by Sanctuary’s Chester Community Chest Fund, which supports projects which benefit Sanctuary residents and their communities.