CHILDREN leapt at the chance to try out some new sports during Ulverston Leisure centre's half-term activities.

The centre held four days of sporting action over the week-long school break – with two days of football and two of multi-sports.

It was in the latter that new ground was broken, with tennis and gymnastics coaches brought in to introduce the eager youngsters to sports not usually featured in the programme.

Tennis coaches Gary Weatherburn and George Spry, and gymnastics tutor Naomi Wojcik took up the mantle to add their expertise to the usual sessions of football, dodgeball, cricket and a wealth of other sports.

The additions proved a great success, with the 50-plus children who added both days of the activity days trying their hand at a whole new game.

Ulverston Leisure Centre's Hannah Paling, who oversaw the four days of sports – as well as a day in the community at Broughton – was thrilled with how it all went.

“It was really good,” she said. “We didn't know how popular it would be with the bad weather we had, but we had a lot of people coming along.

“We had a few little different things. We have the tennis coaches who work here and a girl who is a level two gymnastics coach, but who mostly works at the pool, and we incorporated them in the day, so we could give the kids a little bit more.

“They did about an hour of everything, getting a bit of coaching from the tennis coaches – Gary and George did a day each – who work here in the evenings and at weekends, so the kids know what they can do here.

“We tried to do the gymnastics as well, which is something we haven't really done before and which is a little different. Naomi did that and each group had a go at some of the basics.

“With the weather being so bad, it was good to have these two things we could do inside with the kids. It seemed to work.”

She added: “It's a little bit more exciting having the proper tennis coaches in, so the kids liked it. They got a really good variation over the days.”

Plans are in place to run new junior gymnastics classes at Ulverston Leisure Centre, starting at the end of April. There will be two Friday evening sessions, for six to nine-year-olds and 10-year-olds upwards, led by leisure centre worker Wojcik.

There is already a tennis programme under Weatherburn and Spry, with weekly coaching taking place in the tennis centre.