Riverside was delighted to join the community in celebrating the opening of the new Botcherby gym.

The extension, costing around £100,000, houses a range of new equipment from rowing machines to treadmills, as well as those used to build body strength.

The new centre, funded by Riverside, Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust, Cumbria County Council and Botcherby Community Association, has also paved the way for local resident Mathew Ireland to start his first job as a fitness instructor.

The 30-year-old said: “I studied physical education at the University of Cumbria.

“I’d been working with Carlisle United as part of my degree and, through that, found out about this gym.

“There’s some absolutely brilliant equipment here so hopefully people of all ages will be able to come and enjoy using it.”