An award-winning family learning festival was held in South Oxhey yesterday.

The festival, which was held for the second time, encouraged families to learn new skills and try new activities together.

At the inaugural festival last year, more than 400 people tried out music, art, and kick-boxing Oxhey Wood School.

This year, thanks to a new and larger location in The Centre, Gosforth Lane, a wider range of activities including golf, boxing, singing, ju jitsu, dancing and karate was available.

Organised by the Community Learning Partnership (CLP), the event is part of a national campaign to improve social and academic skills, and boost confidence.

Elizabeth Borg, from the CLP, said: “I'm really excited about this partnership with The Centre, there's more space and we've been able to put things on like zumba, an aerobic dancing exercise.

“The event is simply about trying something new in a family environment. It’s a chance for children and adults to learn new skills and through that improve their confidence and self-esteem.”

The CLP also teaches a course for 'community learning champions', to help them learn skills such as literacy, numeracy and cooking, as well as self-confidence.

Ms Borg added: “If you've got a child and you're busy making dinner and answering the telephone, it's one time where the parent and child can bond one-on-one.

“It's a celebration of family learning, hopefully we are challenging people's preconceptions of what learning is and breaking cycles of underachievement.”

Organisers of last year’s inaugural event travelled to the House of Lords on October 13, when the festival was named the UK’s best family learning event of 2009 by The Campaign for Learning.

Ms Borg said: “We were astounded when we were told we had won. The event was so much more successful than we had hoped it would be.

“We've got the award now, we've made the grade, so anything that comes after that is just fantastic.”