Encouraging Devonport youngsters to be 'high fliers'

Thu, May 15th 2008, 11:00

The sky’s the limit for schoolchildren in Devonport thanks to a new hobby which will encourage them to get active outdoors.

Youngsters from St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School have been introduced to the joys of kite-making and flying through a joint initiative by Redrow Homes, who are redeveloping the former South Yard Enclave, and Liquid Boards, a new outdoor activities shop in Devonport.

The main aim of the innovative scheme is to promote healthy living among children and kick-start an interest in a constructive new hobby. The classroom workshops and outdoor demonstrations will now be rolled out to other schools in Devonport over the next two months.

Each child who takes part will also be entered into a competition – kite design for younger children and kite-making for the older age group, for which Redrow will supply the material free of charge – with winners receiving a state-of–the-art kite courtesy of Liquid Boards and having their entries proudly displayed in the marketing suite at Redrow’s Vision development.
Clare Taylor, community liaison officer for Redrow in Devonport, said: “Redrow is delighted to be running this project in partnership with Liquid Boards, which is promoting healthy living through an activity that the whole family can enjoy.

“We’re hoping the workshops will kick-start a new hobby for some of the children so they can make use of the wonderful Devonport Park; celebrating its 150 year anniversary on June 28 this year with an event we are also both involved in.

“We also hope the success of the scheme with St Joseph’s will lead further workshops in two other local primary schools. It was a fun afternoon and the weather was on our side. Some of the children had never flown a kite before, so it was a new experience for them and it was lovely to see their smiling faces.”

Peter Mills, co-founder of Liquid Boards, said: “Kite-flying is a great activity to get kids playing outside and give them a constructive hobby to take part in. We teach them a little about the origins and history of kites and then get them started with an art and design project to design and make their own.
“When the shop opens we hope to start kite-flying, kayaking and bodyboarding clubs, which will hopefully provide even more opportunities for youngsters in Devonport to get outside and get active.”

Brendan Gill, headteacher at St Joesph’s, added: “The children were enthused by the demonstrations and can’t wait to start making their own kites. I will be recommending other schools take part in this worthwhile scheme.”

For information about more of Redrow’s educational initiatives such as the Redrow Learning Web, an online resource for primary and secondary school pupils and their teachers, go to www.education.redrow.co.uk.  For general information about the Vision project visit www.vision.redrow.co.uk.