Penistone Leisure Centre
Health
We want to improve disabled access so more people can come to the centre and we can provide classes for elderly people.
About this cause
We are a small leisure centre which was reopened in 2012 as a community run charity. We offer a huge variety of classes for local people, from Kettlebells to 'Boogie Bounce' (mini trampolines), Circuits, Fencing and Boxercise. We have a gym with exercise machines and a free weights room and run roller skating sessions for children, teens and families. Our activities increase the health and well being of local people and we run our sessions at affordable prices, such as skating for £2 for 2 hours. We have around 40 volunteers, doing everything from gym inductions, managing reception and the skating cafe, cleaning, maintaining the building, advertising and so on. There is a great community feel and people get a lot out of playing their part in making the centre work for everyone.
How this cause brings people in the community together
A chair aerobics class started at Penistone Leisure Centre about a year ago, which was very popular amongst older and less mobile people who looked forward to their weekly exercise, with tea and a chat afterwards. However, with steps up to the front entrance a lot of people struggled to get into the building and there is no disabled toilet. So after a while the class was moved to another venue, which was then too far for people local to us to get to. We have had disabled people attend the gym, parties and skating, who have struggled to get into the building. If we had disabled access, we could restart chair aerobics and include more disabled people in our classes and other activities. We would look at what elderly and disabled people in our area would like and try to provide new services.