Students from Castle Rock School in Coalville made their voices heard in support of re-opening the Hermitage Leisure Centre in Whitwick.

Children aged 12 staged an impressive presentation in which they voiced their ideas for what could be done with the building in Silver Street following the opening of North West Leicestershire District Council's new £22.5million complex less than a mile away.

The students started the project following workshops at school with community group Coalville CAN, who want to repurpose the now boarded-up centre instead of seeing it lie idle or be knocked down for housing.

The group has plans for an indoor skate park in what is the old swimming pool, a National Parkour Centre and a reopened cafe for the centre's users.

That takes money and the group are hoping the district council will support the ideas that have been proposed.

Castle Rock students used this as the basis for their talk - with more than 30 students taking part and speaking to Coalville CAN members.

The children had spent two years away from the classroom due to the pandemic - and much of their subject matter focused on being stuck indoors, playing computer games and having nowhere exciting to go.

They proposed that the idea of a re-opened Hermitage Leisure Centre would provide a place for young people to go to, instead of being bored.

Castle Rock's deputy head teacher, Nic Raphael, explained the thinking behind the presentation to Coalville News.

She said: "This year we introduced an oracy curriculum.

"That was designed to teach students to talk and learn through talk.

"And the reason for that was lockdown, we've had two years of students not talking, and not engaging, they haven't been able to speak to each other.

"They've been doing school virtually and they've missed those opportunities. So now they have one of these lessons per week.

"And that's when Deana from Coalville CAN got in touch, I had advertised that we were doing an oracy curriculum. Deana said she would be interested in hearing our voices.

"She came in with Coalville CAN and launched the idea that Hermitage Leisure Centre was closing and we could use the building.

"We learnt how to do formal presentations, that involve layers of learning. So from an English point of view, they had to learn persuasive techniques. From a performance point of view, they had to learn how to present effectively.

"That's how they prepared and got to this point.

"Deana came here and did a workshop with the two Harrys from Coalville CAN.

"They spoke and worked with our students, and said we were in danger of losing the Hermitage Leisure Centre .

"They said it could be transformed. And what were the students ideas.

"That involve 227 students in all. They gave their ideas and Coalville CAN said that's great, and then they gave their ideas about a national skate park and the National Parkour Centre. All of these ideas have been shared with each other.

"The children also came up with ideas of things like soft play for younger children, or libraries.

"it would be great if our students voices could affect change because we know that words have power, and it would be great if the students could see that their words also have power."

CAN organiser, Deana Wildgoose, said that local councillors were invited to the presentation but none of them came.

She told the children: "I was crying earlier on just listening to your thoughts and dreams and stories.

"Keep those dreams going, we need your help to do it and we will not stop.

"Your voices will be heard at the highest level."