Action-packed school holidays.

Byline: By Tony Collins

KABOOM! Just like the sort of speech balloons you might expect to find in an old comic book such as Batman, children in a part of Birmingham are enjoying their very own action-packed adventures.

The name has been adopted by children attending an after-school club in Bournville, who all go to the local primary school.

And although the name of the club is actually spelt K@Boom, to reflect the internet age we live in, there is nothing hi-tech or advanced about the fun-filled activities going on inside St Francis Community Centre in Sycamore Road, Bournville.

While the after-school club is solely used by pupils of Bournville Junior and Infant schools in nearby Linden Road, the summer holiday sessions have been expanded to include 4-11 year olds from across the city.

This has included regular Happy Hands signing sessions, which will continue throughout the summer holiday period, as well as swimming every Friday afternoon and a one-off visit by the Tropical Inc Animal Road Show.

But the real energysapping activity was provided by the Fun & Fitness Workshop, held in the main hall of the community centre last week.

More than 30 children broke off from their school holiday to take part in the session, run by self-employed personal trainer Ross Pountney.

And, as the name of the workshop implied, there was no shortage of either fun or fitness as the youngsters ran, skipped and wiggled their hips inside hoolahoops.

The name K@Boom was chosen by the children themselves after staff turned to its youngsters for inspiration.

It had previously been simply called the St Francis Out of School Club. Coordinator Nadine Smith said: "We had a pretty boring name so we came up with a competition and the children came up with K@Boom.

"But whatever the name, it is all about providing children from the area with somewhere to go and something interesting to do outside normal school hours and during the holidays."

There is something going on at the club every day during the summer holidays, right through until September 2 when schools re-open, apart from Bank Holiday Monday, August 25.

Nadine adds: "We are open from 7am until 6pm, but it is predominantly for working parents and they just pick the hours they need."

The club, which charges pounds 2.30 an hour, has also seen its nine members of staff kitted out in bright red uniforms bearing a yellow K@Boom Club design following sponsorship from the local Extended Schools Cluster.

"During term-time, we just cater for children aged 4-11 who attend Bournville junior and infants.

"But in the holidays we are open to children from across the city. We have parents who work in the area, such as Selly Oak Hospital, who may live in Solihull or Sutton Coldfield," she says.

Around 35 youngsters decided to give the Fun & Fitness Workshop a go, and they all seemed to have a great time.

The children were led into the main hall single file where a range of activities were laid out for them.

After Ross got them warmed up by running around in a large circle, it was time to use the play equipment ranging from hoops and skipping ropes to ball-in-a-cup games.

Ross says: "We try to teach children about the importance of fitness and healthy eating."

So what do the children think?

Callum Smith- Mullings, aged ten, says: "I enjoy playing football and doing exercises."

And Ben Airey, ten, says: "It's very active and tires you out, but not too quickly.

CAPTION(S):

COCK-A-HOOP... Kye McCalla Ward, 5, tries some hoola. Photo ref.: JR060808Show-08; HOP, SKIP AND JUMP... Callum Smith-Mullings, 10, burns some energy at the Fun & Fitness Workshop. Photo ref.: JR060808Show-05; FLAT OUT... Jack Garghan, 9, takes a breather. Photo ref.: JR060808Show-10; TEAMWORK.. Edie Barlow, 5, and her brother Cole, 4, are eager to take part in the fitness sessions. Photo ref.: JR060808Show-15; JUMP TO IT... Charlotte Wiley, 6. Photo ref.: JR060808Show-13