Catrine Games Hall has been given £2,744 of new equipment for kids play and other indoor activities, so they can continue community engagement and activity.

The fund comes from Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) . The Games Hall is the last of its kind, after all other halls in the surrounding areas of East Ayrshire were forced to shut.

Run by committed volunteers, Catrine Games Hall provides social and recreational facilities for its members, offering formal classes run by qualified instructors in dance, gymnastics, taekwondo, judo, football, badminton, and squash, as well as a small multi gym.

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In the last year prior to Covid, the hall was a great space where people would come to have fun, exercise, and socialise with friends, recording more than 25,000 individual uses. During the pandemic, the hall served as a vaccination centre for the elderly and those with special needs.

Jack Gillies, Catrine Games Hall, said: “Catrine Games Hall Trust are very grateful for the funding grant supplied to us by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.

"The money will be used to upgrade equipment, allowing us to provide a safer and more diverse experience for the young people who use our facility.

"We are honoured to be associated with CRT and the great work that they are doing, supporting former mining communities.”