A KEIGHLEY social enterprise which gets children enjoying the outdoors is seeking public backing in a funding vote.

Get Out More is among five groups in Yorkshire competing for up to £50,000 of National Lottery cash.

If successful in the People’s Projects competition, the organisation will run the Outdoor Adventure Club – a year-long programme of activities making use of the area’s woodlands and parks.

People are invited to vote for their favourite shortlisted scheme at thepeoplesprojects.org.uk.

The venture with the most support when voting closes on April 3 will receive the funding.

The winner will be announced on April 6.

Get Out More founder and director, Annie Berrington, said the Outdoor Adventure Club was a huge success when piloted in Keighley East ward last year.

More than 150 children and young people took part in after-school, weekend and holiday sessions.

Mrs Berrington said: “We are very lucky to have a wonderful range of green and wild spaces around Keighley which have the potential to offer fantastic opportunities for activity, play and socialising.

“This programme would work with children and young people across Keighley, helping them to be more active and adventurous and make friends with others from different communities.

“When I was a child we played out all the time, but these days children spend a lot more time indoors playing with computer technology – contributing to some worrying statistics about rising obesity and mental health problems.

“The Outdoor Adventure Club gets children active outdoors, safely supervised by qualified leaders. It will consist of after-school, weekend and holiday programmes for children, young people and families in Keighley.

“The programme includes plans to work with local people to develop more skilled workers and volunteers to help with projects and aims to work with groups which are improving the beautiful but underused woods and green spaces of Keighley – such as Park Wood, Hainworth Wood, North Beck, Guard House allotments and Damems nature reserve – so they are easier to access and safer places to visit. We are calling on people’s support.”

Get Out More has staged a series of winter events at venues across the district. Activities included creative writing at St Ives, Harden, and a forest school in the grounds of Riddlesden St Mary’s Primary School which featured games, den building, woodland crafts and a campfire.