THERE shouldn't be time for kids to get bored in Benarty this summer with everything from burgers and ball sports to music sessions and mud kitchens.

There are plenty of activities with a timetable of fun and games in Ballingry for toddlers all the way up to senior pupils at high school.

Fife Council's Benarty Youth Work team are running it and community education worker, Euan Connelly, explained: "We've got a project, the Play Pod, which is a shipping container full of play materials and sporting equipment and youth workers are putting on activities with different time slots for different age groups to come and use it.

"We've got recycled items such as tyres and pallets that kids love to play with, gardening equipment, there are goals and sports gear, barbecues and because of Covid we're trying to run it all outside.

"It's all in the field opposite the skate park, off Ballingry Road, and it's running for the summer holidays."

He continued: "The Benarty Young-stars, for kids under P5, is on Tuesdays and that's more your loose parts play (using simple everyday items to play and get creative with), bubbles, waterslides etc, while the Benarty Young-stars under-5s is on Thursdays, which is more music walls, sandpits and mud kitchens.

"Both are 11am to noon.

"They've been booked out a couple of times."

There's a junior youth club, for P5 to P7 kids, every day from 1 to 3pm with more structured games, team building and working together.

Euan said: "We've had good numbers for that too and we've kept it a bit more informal so young people can just appear too.

"For high school kids there's a barbecue every Thursday, from 6 to 8pm, and a senior youth club drop-in every Tuesday from 6pm.

"On Friday afternoons, 1.30pm to 4.30pm, we've also got mini-golf and I've got a few young lads helping to run that, they're working towards a Dynamic Youth Award and a qualification.

"And for high school kids there's Friday night at the Meedies from 5.30 to 8.30pm."

He added: "I think if you put on something that's enjoyable, activities, games or a nice burger, then it gets people in and you can chat with them, find out what their passions and interests are and see if we can help.

"Hopefully it'll build up confidence among young people to attend because we've not been able to do anything like this for a long time and there are new groups we can get to know and develop more projects for.

"Everything up to now has been online, we had an online youth club in January and an online cooking group for adults that went very well.

"We took ingredients to people's homes and then did a cooking session altogether online.

"There's been a lot of food provision at BRAG and at the centre so we met people during that, had conversations and it turned out a lot of people wanted to cook more.

"It was something they told us they were interested in so we did it, and it's that kind of approach we're following as it's more organic.

"As a result a number of them are working towards getting a qualification too."

If the weather's bad they can use the games hall at the community centre for some of their activities but Euan smiled: "I do think it's a good habit to put across to kids, we live in Scotland, the weather's not always great but it shouldn't deter you from getting out to play."

You can book by contacting 'Benarty Youth Work' via their Facebook page or by calling / texting 07729 123827.