A free community festival celebrating Grandparents’ Day will return to Kendal Leisure Centre on Sunday 4 October, giving local residents the chance to try activities, access health support and find out more about services available to older people.
The Kendal event will run from 11am to 2.30pm. It is being organised by GLL and is one of two festivals returning next month, with the first taking place at Penrith Leisure Centre on Thursday 1 October from 10am to 2pm.
What will be available at Kendal Leisure Centre?
Visitors to the Kendal festival will be able to take part in exercise taster sessions and try mobility equipment. Health support will also be available, while eligible visitors can receive Covid, flu and RSV vaccinations.
The programme will include a volunteering fair and a Macmillan coffee morning, giving people opportunities to meet organisations, learn about support and spend time with others in the community.
The festivals are now in their fourth year and are designed to bring people of all ages together for activities, entertainment and advice. Organisers say the events are intended to support community wellbeing as well as encourage people to stay active.
Activities for older residents
The festival will showcase sessions available to seniors at the leisure centres. These include Dedicated Swim for 50+ sessions and Chatter Matters, a social group supporting friendships, communication, health, exercise and wellbeing.
Movement Matters offers seated and standing exercises intended to gently raise the heart rate and improve mobility. There will also be instructor-led Pickleball Senior Club sessions focusing on balance, co-ordination and cardiovascular health.
Other activities listed for the festivals include boccia, walking football and walking netball with Age UK. Healthwise, a physical activity referral programme, is designed to support people with long-term medical conditions or those at risk of chronic illness who are currently inactive.
Escape Pain, a rehabilitation course, will also be highlighted. The course helps people manage long-term joint or back pain.
Part of Age Friendly South Lakeland
The initiative forms part of the Age Friendly South Lakeland project, which brings organisations including Westmorland and Furness Council together to support community wellbeing.
Danielle Vipond Shields, Better health and communities manager for Westmorland and Furness, said: “We’re really looking forward to bringing our Age Friendly Festivals back for the fourth consecutive year.”
She said more than 150 people had taken advantage of the programme in 2025, adding: “These events are about much more than encouraging people to get active – they’re about bringing people together, discovering what’s happening in our local communities and making sure everyone has the opportunity to access the support and activities that are available to them.”
She also said the festivals had enabled generations of families to spend quality time together while celebrating older communities.