A host of new sporting activities will begin this month after Breckland Council received some funding from Sport England.

Courses will be held at leisure centres and sports halls in Thetford, Watton, Swaffham, Dereham and Attleborough over the coming weeks.

It comes after Breckland Council surveyed some of the district's 14 to 25-year-olds, which provided evidence that led to a successful bid for �6,000 of Sportivate funding for new classes.

The Sportivate initiative is part of Sport England's 'Places, People, Play' strategy which will help ensure a legacy of increased sports participation following next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The courses, which will be held in the five Breckland market towns, will kick off with a six week badminton course starting on October 31 at Breckland Leisure Centre, Thetford. Other courses include hula hooping, swimming, archery and spinning.

Participants will only have to pay �1 to attend a session. Participants who attend five out of the six sessions will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a �30 online gift voucher.

Lynda Turner, Breckland Council executive member for localism, community and environmental services, said: 'This particular age group has been identified by Sport England as the stage during which the most people drop out of sports activities. Thanks to this funding, and using the results of our survey, Breckland can now offer our younger residents a range of affordable sports courses that will meet their interests'.

For more information, visit www.breckland.gov.uk/sportivate or call Breckland Council on 01362 656870.