Sports facilities costing £850,000 opened on Monday. Melbourn Community Sports (MCS), on the village college site, opened after three years of work. The facilities, which will be used by village college students and the community, includes two floodlit mu

Sports facilities costing £850,000 opened on Monday.

Melbourn Community Sports (MCS), on the village college site, opened after three years of work.

The facilities, which will be used by village college students and the community, includes two floodlit multi-games areas for hockey, netball and tennis, a squash court, a programme of exercise classes, and a fitness gym.

There is also a swimming pool, outdoor pitches, the use of a gymnasium and sports hall at the village college, a children's holiday programme which could be extended into term time, and a GP referral scheme set up by South Cambridgeshire District Council.

The project got off the ground three years ago after the McSplash swimming pool identified a need for a sports facility.

Since then, village college warden Ron Berry has secured funding from the district council and Cambridgeshire County Council under a Government dual-funding initiative, which encourages the shared use of facilities between schools and the community.

Sport England, the village college and McSplash also raised funds for the facility.

Community sports vice-chairman Trevor Purnell said: "It is an outstanding facility which deserves the support of us all.

"We are trying to encourage youngsters and people in the community who haven't been involved with sport to get involved.

"For some people it's a shock to the system and it's the initial hurdle of walking into the gym.

"But we are encouraging people to come for taster sessions and to enjoy their time when using the facilities."

Sports facilities development manager Jo Greene said: "The facilities will give the community somewhere to exercise and benefit their health.

"So far, people's reactions have been really positive and in the future we want develop services. We want to develop sports for minority groups including, the over-50s, people with disabilities and team groups."

For more details, call Melbourn Community Sports on 01763 263313.