Westmorland and Furness Council has teamed up with a leisure centre and community youth organisations to offer free football sessions for young people this summer.

The council is working alongside Barrow Park Leisure Centre and Furness Youth Work Partnership to deliver the Turn Up and Play Football project at Barrow Astro Turf Pitches (ATP), in Barrow Park.

From Monday 29 July, young people up to 18 years will be able to go along to Barrow ATP when the facility reopens for this pilot scheme.

The pitches will be open from 5pm to 9pm weekdays (excluding the Monday 26 August Bank Holiday) and from 12pm to 5pm on weekends. The scheme will run until Sunday 1 September. There is no need to book, just turn up and footballs and bibs will be provided.

Thanks to £25,000 of funding from Westmorland and Furness Council’s Furness Locality Board, Furness Youth Work Partnership will be able to support youth work in the community over two years. Part of this funding will be used for multi-agency youth work to support this project.

The partners are working in collaboration to ensure there is free access to sport for young people and to combat any potential anti-social behaviour in the area. The scheme will be used as an opportunity to engage with young people about what leisure activities they want and any other services they need.

The pitches will also be used earlier in the day for a children’s multi-sports summer camp being run by Barrow Park Leisure Centre.

Furness Locality Board Chair, Councillor Tony Callister, said:

“This is a great opportunity for the young people of Barrow. By supporting initiatives such as this, we can encourage young people of all ages and abilities to get involved, have fun, meet others and be active – all for free.

“Healthy and happy lives are a priority for the council and sports provision from clubs through to facilities play a huge role in community life. These recently repaired pitches are a great asset to the town, and I hope this project captures the interest and joy of our young people while also engaging them to share what leisure activities and services they’d like to see.”

Aidan Murphy, Head of Operations at Barrow Park Leisure Centre, said:

“We are so pleased to be involved in this scheme. We are delighted to play a small part in bringing this facility back to the community.”

Cath Corkill, Chairperson of Furness Youth Work Partnership, said:

“Furness Youth Work Partnership is a multi-agency delivery partnership established by youth work organisations and youth work professionals in the Furness area.

“Our aim is to co-ordinate the planning and delivery of youth work across Furness, achieving positive outcomes for children, young people and their families.

“Sport is essential for children and young people’s development and mental well-being so we jumped at the chance to support Aidan and his team by offering detached youth work support around the pitches so young people can engage in a range of activities and support and build positive relationships. Partnership working offers more opportunities which will benefit our local communities.”

The council took over the management of the pitches alongside Barrow Park Leisure Centre in January this year after terminating the contract with the previous operator. This followed the closure of the pitches to the public in November last year where the facilities have since undergone repairs ready for use.

For enquires about the Turn Up and Play Football project, please call Barrow Park Leisure Centre on 01229 871146.

For enquiries about future bookings of the pitches at Barrow ATP, please contact sportandleisure@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk.