RATHER than driving their parents up the wall during the half-term holiday, teenagers in Chippenham have been running up them instead.

On Tuesday, about 20 youngsters from local youth groups went along to the Bridge Centre to take part in a workshop on Parkour, an increasingly popular practice of negotiating obstacles such as walls, rails and buildings in flowing movements.

Under the tutelage of members of Urban Freeflow, an international Parkour organisation, they learned a wide variety of skills and techniques.

The taster session was part of an initiative to encourage young people between the ages of 13 and 19, who are not keen on traditional sports, to get outdoors and try more alternative and challenging activities.

The workshop was the first in what will be a wide range of initiatives run by the Wiltshire Alternative Youth Sports Partnership (WAYS) to raise awareness of alternative sports in the county.

Nick Thrower, alternative youth sports co-ordinator with WAYS said: "These taster sessions are a great opportunity to give young people the chance to have a go at different sports with other like-minded people who would rather try out new BMX jumps or skateboarding moves than run around a hockey pitch.

"They will also be able to benefit from expert tuition to perfect their skills."

The Alternative Youth Sports scheme is funded by Sustain the Plain Leader+, a European Community initiative managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England, and involves voluntary organisations, Wiltshire's district councils and Wiltshire County Council.