ARMED Forces veterans from Barrow travelled to Windermere to rekindle some of the physical challenges many of them experienced when serving.

The latest event by Barrow Veterans aimed to bring together ex-service personnel to socialise and share their experiences of civilian life, as well as remembering the camaraderie of their service days.

Ten former members of the Army Royal Navy and Royal Air Force attended an activity day at YMCA Lakeside.

The project is supported by Westmorland and Furness Council as well as BAE and aims to engage with ex-service personnel and find out how to improve the support available.

They were presented with a choice of activities, including water-based tasks on the lake, but decided to tackle the tree tops.

In the morning, the group headed into the wood and lined up for the King Swing, which took them high up among the leaves before releasing them on a huge arc through the air.

Lunch was provided before an afternoon on the high obstacle course which included a ‘leap of faith’.

While ages ranged from 30 to 88 years old, everyone found something they could enjoy in the day.

Godfrey Owen, who volunteers for the project, said everyone was really into ‘challenging’ and ‘stretching’ themselves.

He said: “It went really well. We’re very pleased with the event especially as it was the first one to be held at Lakeside.

“We try to identify those who struggle after leaving the service, whether that be physically or mentally, and identify what is useful to them and make sure the support is relevant.

“There was a good turnout and it was great to see the enthusiasm the veterans had to get involved.”

Barrow Veterans representative Kev Hartley encouraged other Veterans to get involved in future events.

He said: “It’s been a really enjoyable day for everyone, and some very helpful feedback has been shared, which will benefit those present and all Veterans living locally.

"We will be providing further activities locally which we hope more Veterans and their families will get involved in."