PUPILS at a Darwen school will soon have access to brand new sports pitches and netball courts on site as part of a £290,000 joint project with Darwen Leisure Centre, it was revealed today.

The idea for the scheme followed approval of the LIFT project to build the town's new health centre behind the leisure centre. Money raised through the sale of the land for the health centre was put into moving the existing all-weather pitch to Holy Trinity Primary School.

But it will also pay for the creation of three netball courts which the school hopes will allow them to stage sports tournaments. The pitches, which are being constructed by Emusol Products Ltd, are due to be completed by the end of February approximately 100 metres from each other.

It is hoped the project will forge links between the school and the community as the pitches will be used by pupils during the day and managed by the leisure centre staff in the evening for public use.

Coun Kate Hollern said the new all-weather pitches at Holy Trinity had a number of very positive benefits for the whole community. The pitches, new changing rooms and netball courts would be open to the public at weekends, evenings and school holidays, while during the day the facilities would be used by pupils of Holy Trinity.

She added: "The site of the old all-weather pitch will now house the new health centre for Darwen. Every way you look at it, this project has positive health benefits for the entire community."

Head Keith McDonald said: "It will make a very big difference to our school and will give us a lot more facilities. There will be a synthetic grass pitch and three really good netball pitches where we look forward to hosting events such as netball tournaments."