DISABLED people can get fit more easily after improvements to Darwen Leisure Centre.

A £12,000 grant from Blackburn with Darwen social services has paid for work on the site in Green Street.

Included is a full refurbishment of the small pool changing rooms. The installation of a changing hoist also means disabled users can enjoy full use of the pools, and get changed in a comfortable and welcoming environment, a council spokesman said.

Coun Kate Hollern said: "We are delighted to bring this improved facility to the people of Darwen and are confident that everyone visiting the centre will benefit in some way from these improvements."

Community support worker Eileen Peat helped prompt the improvements when she highlighted problems facing people with special needs, including keen local swimmer Leslie Fogg, when using swimming pools.

She said: "Leslie is paraplegic and this is great news for him and many other special-needs users. They can now make the most of the facilities."

Coun Sue Reid, added: "We are always keen to hear ideas from staff and members of the public about how services can be improved to benefit the community. The completion of these improvements clearly demonstrates that perserverance pays off and that good ideas are acted on."

The new facilities in the town's sports centre were completed just weeks after a new defibrillator was also installed. Sylvia Corran of Hoddlesden, whose husband Steve collapsed from a heart attack at the leisure centre last September, managed to raise more than £3,000 with the help of family and friends to buy the equipment.

Duty officer Albino Ferro said that around a dozen staff had been trained in how to use the machine.

Mr Corran was 50 when he died during a work-out at the centre, despite attempts to resuscitate him. He was a keen fitness fanatic who managed the Darwen Blue Star youth football team before becoming a youth scout at Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United.

Mr Ferro added that defibrillator machines were appearing in more and more places, and staff were thrilled that Mrs Corran had donated one to the centre.

He said: "Although an ambulance comes in a couple of minutes, the defibrillator is always here and it could save a life."