A big-hearted giveaway that took flight during the pandemic soared once again last night with the gift of hundreds of kites to the community.

The field at TN Tatem was packed with youngsters enjoying festivities provided by the community groups Sunshine After Dark and The Giveback.

But the biggest excitement, as evidenced by an eager queue of children, was for the gift of free kites — for the second year running.

Volunteers Anthony Bailey Jr and Makinday Johansen explained how the idea took off.

“We started making kites during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mr Bailey said.

“I wanted to get involved in the community as a charity, so I reached out to my friend Mr Johansen, who is already involved with the Giveback and doing the right thing.”

Last year, Mr Johansen was an organiser of the Bikes Up, Guns Down community day at Southampton Rangers Club for a day of fun on bikes for young people.

He told The Royal Gazette that the team of volunteers had put together about 160 traditional kites, with an additional more than 200 regular kites to give away, thanks to sponsors including the Department of Culture.

Mr Johansen had lost track of how long it took to build the kites.

“It’s all down to the person. A lot of kite makers are very particular about how they do it, what colours to use.

“We look at each other and say we’re professionals, but some of these guys had us going back to the drawing board and scratching our heads — we just thank everybody who got on board.

“At the end of the day, this isn’t about ourselves. Kids come first, and the community.”

Owen Darrell, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport, said he had turned out to support “a group of young people who got together and told me about this idea a couple of months ago for a giveaway to the community”.

“We know this tradition is a long one in Bermuda. Unfortunately there are some young people that don’t make kites or whose families don’t.

“There are hundreds behind me to be given away and a line going to length of the field.”

Mr Darrell, who said he waited until the night before Good Friday to build his own kite, added: “This is their second year in a row — and it’s very important.”