A £20,000 charitable donation from a Lake District hotel group has helped with the construction of a new cycling track for the local community in Windermere.

English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues has been working alongside South Lakeland District Council and local partners to fund the installation of a new bike ‘pump’ track at the Queen’s Park play area.

The hotel group which runs Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa in Windermere, contributed the funds from its ‘Sam’s Club’ charity initiative with the money raised by both its employees and guests to the area.

At the grand opening of the new track, Olympic BMX star and European Games Champion Kyle Evans showcased his skills with English Lakes Hotels’ mascot Sam the Dog.

Ben Berry from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues says: “It’s wonderful to see this project come to fruition which will hopefully encourage more young people to get out and about on their bikes and hone their skills in the fresh air.

“It was great to see Kyle demonstrate an array of tricks and even better to see Sam the Dog try to emulate them.  The Sam’s Club charity initiative was set up to support a range of good causes both regionally and overseas.  It’s always nice to see a project like this taking shape on our home patch and see the benefits it has for youngsters.”

The £50,000 pump track has been constructed by Clark & Kent Contractors, who also created London’s Olympics BMX track.  It has been designed to appeal to cyclists of all ages and abilities, with an undulating circuit of rollers, hills and camel humps.

Cllr Philip Dixon, South Lakeland District Council portfolio holder for Customer and Locality Services, adds: “The new pump track at Queen’s Park is a great place for kids to go and have creative outdoor fun rather than just sitting at home in front of a screen. SLDC officers have worked really well with the Windermere Park For All community group and the generous funders to put in place something that is really enriching the community.”

The project has also been funded by £25,000 from British Cycling’s Places to Ride capital grants programme, as well as £3,000 from the Dulverton Trust and £2,000 from the Holehird Trust.