Trip to Keswick

May saw 12 guys and four FODI volunteers heading off to visit the lakes. It was a picture perfect warm and sunny rare spring in Keswick which we all thoroughly enjoyed.

The group included members of the community, who came from different walks of life, with a wide range of backgrounds and interests. The main goal was to create opportunities for them to learn new skills and improve their existing ones, as well as gain new experiences.

We travelled by train to Lancaster, then bused to the start point at Cartmel Fell. We walked or bused over some of the fells including Ingleborough and Whernside and had a lovely lunch on the Llynclys path.

From there we drove to Dunmail Raise where we walked around the perimeter of the fell, stopping for refreshments on the way back to our car. This was an excellent day out with plenty of photo opportunities on both sides of the fence!

Read Musaab’s report below:

Refugees and asylum seekers want to give a big thanks to FODI for an exciting trip to Keswick organised by the committee and FODI volunteers Jane and Zeinab with Jim, Steve and Sandra.

On May 16th we set off for Keswick and we were happy with the activities and it felt like being with family. The trip gave us who do not get a chance to visit many other places in the UK, a chance to see a different face of the countryside. We discovered a new side to nature in England….

The trip started from Park Lane Bus station by coach and after we all arrived and packed in all our food and other stuff for the weekend we set off. Everybody was happy on the bus and they talked about what we would see at Keswick. People were saying it would be like other towns in the UK because all have a nice nature. On the journey we saw many amazing things, like farms, horses and sheep. When we arrived at the Youth Hostel we saw it had a lovely view of the river, directly in front of us like a silver necklace.

It was cool when we left Sunderland but when we arrived in Keswick it surprised us by nice sunny weather. This was unbelievable for us because Sandra had said many times when she comes to Keswick it is raining and we would have to go to the pencil museum! We looked around the town at the traditional buildings and shops. It was very different to Sunderland and was much older and you feel the history. We didn’t feel tired as we were so surprised by the beautiful town and so we went to see Derwent Water. The lake was the heart of the town because all people are drawn towards it.

We also played mini golf and crazy golf and nobody knew how to play but some people showed incredible skills. We soon renamed Abdulghadir – ‘Tiger’.

On the second and third days, we walked in the mountains. For some of us it was a completely new experience and looked like National Geographic. We took the boat to Ashness gate, walked to Ashness bridge and then climbed through the forest path to Surprise view. We could see everything from there- town, villages and other lakes in the distance.

The following day we all walked up Latrigg. The first part of the journey was through the forest where Jane described all the flowers for us and I remember the name ‘forget me knot’ and we will NOT forget our amazing time in Keswick. At the top we enjoyed another packed lunch specially prepared for us by Jane and Zeinab. We decided to split into two groups. Some of us decided to walk down slowly while the more confident ones went with Steve to discover this feeling you get when reaching the top. So, they set off to conquer Skiddaw, while we noticed the cooler cloudy weather rolling in. Some of us who are young felt like we were older than Steve and Jim who are very fit!

Some of the guys said this journey helped them to forget their problems and took the pressure out, and they said “If you want to forget your problems, visit Keswick!”