A Mauchline fitness instructor who was struggling to find a suitable indoor facility to accommodate kids PE classes is overjoyed after being offered a place by a community-minded local.

Last week, The Chronicle reported how Laura Pagan, founder of PE with LP, feared that the kids classes, which have been running since August, may have needed to be pulled if a suitable indoor space wasn’t found before the harsh winter months.

She now has no reason to worry as the sessions, thus far held at Beechwood Park, will now relocate to the Bowling Green Hall in Mauchline – meaning the classes are here to stay.

Laura said: “I turned up to the class on Tuesday and the Bowling Green president shouted me over. He said he’d seen the article and offered me facilities. He really helped me out in accommodating the group so I couldn’t have asked for more.

“I’m going to keep it the same amount of sessions and see how I go. Currently I’m running two sessions and I have a waiting list, but with uni, four kids and my volunteering at Dumfries House, it’s hard to juggle everything.

“The number of kids who came up to me on Tuesday who were really, really gutted that that was their last day really took me aback. I couldn’t say anything to them until it was concrete because I needed to see how it was going to work for me and if moving indoors was feasible in the circumstances.

“But the messages from parents saying that they can’t wait to tell the kids has been amazing. It shows what exercises creates and what happens when kids are involved in something that they’re enthusiastic about.”

Laura is now looking to see how she can play her part in making outdoor spaces more accessible for locals, not just in Mauchline but across East Ayrshire.

She continued: “Even a path within the park would be a start because right now there’s nowhere in Mauchline to go for older people with a fear of slipping or disabled people or families with buggies.I would love to see a path, some lighting, seats and an outdoor gym.

“Even though I’ve found a facility for the classes, I’d love to be able to change things in the long term to make the park more usable.”

PE with LP will begin in the Bowling Green Hall on Tuesday, October 27.