A group of scouts were treated to an evening of sport as a reward for helping to reopen their local leisure centre.

 

Youngsters enjoyed a boxercise class and roller-skating at Penistone Leisure Centre on Wednesday.

 

Members of the Penistone scout group were on hand to pick up litter and tidy the Thurlstone Road centre when community group Sporting Penistone began its campaign to restore the facility last year.

 

Martyn Houseden, from Sporting Penistone, said: "It was to say thank you. It came about because we just sorted out the insurance so people can start having roller-skating parties again."

 

The leisure centre closed in May 2011 and members of Sporting Penistone were reliant on free labour to make it fit for purpose.

 

It reopened at the end of last summer and scouts were responsible for cleaning the car park, as well as tidying store cupboards.

 

The centre has been without heating since thieves broke in and damaged the boiler room last August but Martyn said the system will now be fixed after the insurance company agreed to pay out.

 

"We're really, really grateful to the instructors we've had in for keeping classes going while the building has been without any kind of heating," added Martyn. "We've had lots of good support."