School is nearly out for the summer - it is time to sit back, relax and spend six weeks doing nothing.

That is, except if you are those pictured on these pages.

We have children from Allonby who spent the summer holidays painting murals on the public toilet block.

In Cockermouth children helped redecorate the Cockermouth and District Youth Club.

Then there are the heroes - Workington Town rugby league players Paddy Coupar, and Jarrad Stack who freely gave up their own time to coach children every Wednesday afternoon during the school holidays.

If there are to be any real heroes, however, they must be the adults who organised the Flimby Youth Club in 2012 and challenged themselves to provide something for children to do every day of the school holidays.

Now that is really a challenge!

They say the best way to man’s heart is through his stomach - and surely that applies to children, too.

That is why children at Allonby School must have been delighted.

They held a fun day before school holidays began and Tesco’s community champion Alison Sharpe arrived to present the children with, among other things, 100 hot dogs!

On a more serious note, we see a photo of Jessica Hendry Gooding from the North lakes Foodbank with one of the food packages made for kids in the school holidays in 2017.

That.is a service that is not going to go away in a hurry as young families face continuing inflation and yet another interest rate hike, many will be struggling this summer.

The desire to give children a summer holiday they will enjoy is quite natural but it is possible to have a lot of fun without spending loads of money as the two Seaton brothers splashing in the sea at Allonby proved.

The fantastic holiday programmes that have been provided in the past and the fantastic people who have often given up their own time to volunteer, deserve a huge vote of thanks from us all.

And if it is not too much to ask - could you do it again this year, please!