A YATE school has been awarded enough money to build a state-of-the-art indoor sports hall which will be used by the whole community.

Brimsham Green School has won the backing of South Gloucestershire Council after more than a decade of campaigning for a grant to improve its sports facilities.

The project, totalling more than £1million, will provide an indoor base for groups and clubs in Yate and will also mean children no longer have to be taught PE in freezing conditions.

At a meeting of the council on Wednesday, a pledge that £1.3million of the authority's money be ploughed into the project was agreed.

Headteacher Richard Warrilow has appealed for the council's help for 14 years.

This week he told the Gazette he was "absolutely delighted" at the decision.

Mr Warrilow said: "It will make a tremendous difference to our PE curriculum and will enable us to offer lots more variety.

"It is also a huge boost for the local community and we hope that lots of groups will be able to use the facilities."

Mr Warrilow said the new sports hall would have an impact on all the school's 1,070 pupils.

The money comes from more than £5million of unallocated funds from the council's annual budget.

The council rejected the school's bid at a meeting earlier this month, when it was deciding to spend an extra £4million left out of the budget especially for schools.

Mr Warrilow then said: "We are the only school in South Gloucestershire with only one hall.

"The school does have some quite good outdoor facilities - the use of Yate Outdoor Sports Complex and lots of playing fields - but there is only one indoor PE space.

"We have no assembly hall and our PE programme has extended but groups doing A-Level and GCSE sports still have very restricted facilities."

He said four or five classes are taught PE at any one time and with only one small hall, many children are forced outside. Mr Warrilow said the new hall will mean more pupils can enjoy staying inside and learning different indoor sports.

Cllr Ian Blair (Lib Dem, Yate West) pushed for the project to get the go ahead.

"I am concerned at the difficulty of encouraging children to do sports when there are such difficult problems," said Cllr Blair, whose own children went to Brimsham Green School.

Council leader Cllr Neil Halsall (Lib Dem, Thornbury) also welcomed the project, which will begin either this year or next.

He said this week: "Brimsham Green School is a successful secondary school and it has needed a sports hall for too long. "One small gym is just not enough."

Added Mr Warrilow: "This hall is not only for school pupils but will also be offered to the wider community and those using the YOSC site.

"We hope to see it in use in 12 months."