An old, under-used gym at a Norwich school has been given a new lease of life thanks to a group of hard-working youngsters.
Norfolk County Council's Fire And Rescue Service XLER8* club has been working to renovate the old multi-gym and reception area at the swimming pool complex at the Hewett School in Cecil Road.
Working one day a week since January the seven group members have successfully refurbished the gym and reception with £8,500 funding from the National Lottery, the school and Norwich Swimming Club.
Mark Keddie from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service's Youth Development Team, said: "Working together with the school PE department the group has successfully transformed the old gym facility into a cardiovascular training centre. Special emphasis has been made on rowing in line with a national initiative to coax more young people into the sport. State of the art rowing machines and IT technology enable rowers to compete against each other. All the group members have worked extremely hard and can be rightly proud of their efforts."
Richard Rockcliffe, Cabinet Member for Fire and Community Protection at Norfolk County Council, said: "The efforts of these young people are to be applauded. They have shown a great deal of initiative in getting this scheme off the ground and have put in an immense amount of hard work to see it through. I am sure it will have real benefit for many others for years to come."
David Worsley, Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Norfolk, said: "The XLER8 team has converted an under-used space into a facility the school can be proud of. The team deserves an enormous amount of praise for their hard work and initiative."
The Lord Mayor Roy Blower will officially open the Community Fitness Suite at the Hewett School Swimming pool complex, Cecil Road, Norwich at 11am on the Thursday (November 29).
*XLER8 is offered as an option on the school curriculum and aims to work with young people in years 10 and 11 who need support with motivation, attendance, self esteem and avoiding exclusion. In addition to this the scheme aims to identify and help the young people overcome any issues preventing them from fulfilling their potential.
For further information - Contact Us
