Pirates and peregrine falcons have been circling Derwent Water this month! Everyone paused at the Derwent Water Regatta on Saturday 11th July (even the best-dressed pirate) to look up at the falcon above Crow Park: perhaps it had spotted our tasty Georgian biscuits!

On the watery pirate theme we can report that filming has been taking place on Derwent Water for a new television adaptation of Swallows and Amazons. The locations in the story are more commonly associated with Windermere and Coniston, but Derwent Water will do! We hope to see you having your own adventures in and around the lakes soon.

A big porta-cabin has landed on our terrace! This is part of the exciting preparations for 5 weeks of challenging leadership and team-building exercises for the young people taking part in the National Citizen Service (NCS), delivered by Brathay Trust.

In total about 325 young people, aged 15 to 17, will take part in the 5 day residentials at the hostel, developing new relationships and skills ahead of the social action projects that they will plan and deliver back in their local communities. The residential includes an overnight camp in a field near Watendlath, as well as canoeing, mountain walking, ghyll scrambling, and problem-solving.

The idea of NCS is to provide young people from all backgrounds with the opportunity to take on new challenges, learn new skills, and make a positive contribution to society. With guidance from NCS mentors  and outdoor pursuits instructors (like those from Brathay Trust), the young people will offer a minimum of 40 hours of voluntary support to community organisations and projects, volunteering during the evenings, weekends, and school holidays.

You can find out more information about NCS and Brathay Trust here, and we will include personal reports from the participants in the August newsletter.

Sandra has been volunteering with us since the beginning of July, entering into the spirit of the hostel with great enthusiasm.

She is one of the best canoeists in Spain, and so she was particularly keen to get out on Derwent Water. She also did some big hikes with fellow volunteer Bea, walking from Buttermere to Keswick via Crag Hill and the Coledale Hause, and scampering up Skiddaw and Scafell Pike. 

Sandra is going on to do a Masters in Law and we wish her all the best for the future. Thank you for your help and good company!

Bea volunteered with us for the month of July, and she never stopped smiling, despite some very wet cycle rides between the hostel and Keswick!

Originally from Stuttgart in Germany, Bea volunteered in hostels in Ireland and Liverpool before her placement with us. 

If all goes well (fingers crossed for the applications!) she will start a Pharmacy degree in Germany in October, but before that she is going to see a bit more of England, touring from Oxford and Cambridge to London and Swanage, with some other National Express stop-offs and hostels along the way!

Thank you Bea - we hope your enjoy your well-deserved holiday around southern England.

Hot soup, sizzling bacon, and warm showers greeted the dedicated team who fundraise for the Children's Heart Unit Fund at the Freeman Hospital (ChuF) in Newcastle. We were delighted to be a brief stop-off in their Coast to Coast challenge, which looks exhausting even on paper!

Day 1: Cycle 75 miles from Whitehaven to Keswick.

Day 2: Swim 1 mile across Derwent Water (to the refreshments at the hostel!) and then cycle 65 miles to Alston.

Day 3: Run 37 miles from Alston to Corbridge.

Day 4: Run 26.2 miles from Corbridge to Tynemouth.

Since seeing their son, Sebastian, recover successfully from lifesaving heart surgery (aged just 16 weeks old), Ivan and Nadine Hollingsworth have worked tirelessly over the last 6 years to raise awareness and funds for ChuF. Via Seb4ChuF, they have raised over u00a3400,000, which has been used by ChuF to build and equip a stunning new indoor and outdoor play facility on the Children's Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital. The aim now is to fully fund a new Play Specialist Nurse Post on the Heart Unit, a position that brings happiness and respite to many poorly children.

Well done to all the participants and supporters - hopefully we will see you all again next year, and we look forward to following the progress of the Heart Unit.