A NEW activity day has raised hundreds of pounds for summer events in Chard.

The Escapeline fun day was also held to raise awareness of the town’s county lines drug problem.

County lines is a term for dealers come from outside a county to set up new networks.

This is a national problem but has also been found in Chard, with a not-for-profit group set up earlier this year to combat the issue.

Escapeline worked with Holyrood Academy to organise the activity day on Sunday, and despite having to adapt to ‘horrendous’ weather, the event brought in £369.59.

A spokesman for Escapeline said: “Weather was horrendous but the whole community came together. The police were there and interacting with the kids, which was great.

“It was so nice staff came from the school and everyone was really getting involved which was what we wanted.

“The community came to help and it was just so nice.”

The fun day saw a number of Chard’s clubs turn out to offer free trials, including taekwondo, karate, rugby, boxing, majorettes, dance, football, singing, beekeeping, and DJing.

The event also featured a barbecue, face paints and more.

The Escapeline spokesman added: “Around 50 people came throughout the day, families dropping in. They didn’t let the weather get to them. “

Escapeline run workshops in schools and colleges, and support workers will be trained to work directly with the young people, to help them identify they are being criminally exploited.