A DALTON community centre has reaped the benefits of generous volunteers giving their time and experience.

Yesterday, despite heavy rain, several jobs were carried out at Greenfields Family Centre.

A new fenced area allowing children to play outside in a sheltered environment was created and a fresh work station for computers was installed along with shelving units.

Leaky guttering was being replaced today.

The centre is home to a play group, an out-of-school club and a youth club. It provides many other services for the community.

The day was organised by the Examiner and the Huddersfield Lions Club.

A delighted Janet Bedford, secretary of the centre, said of the work: "It's brilliant. It will be really useful, the children will benefit from being outside. I suppose it's like an all-weather play area because it lets them out."

She said the computers could now be used by many of the groups based at the centre.

"I'd like to say a big thank you to the Lions and all the volunteers. We want to know if they're available to come and help us every week from now on!"

Among the volunteers were joiner Ian Battye and design and development engineer John Startin.

Mr Battye, from Honley, who worked throughout the downpour, said: "It's been fun, I've enjoyed it. The weather could have been kinder, shall we say!

He added: "I'm happy to help out and pass on knowledge."

He also said he would consider participating in this sort of project in the future.

Christopher Newbery, a member of the Lions club who was also mucking in, said of the volunteers: "I thought they were really excellent, really willing and they set to very enthusiastically.

"I was very pleased when I came back this afternoon to see how much work had been done. It's an excellent project.

"Twenty-five or 30 years ago, when the Lions club was much stronger than it is today, it was a much more common thing for us to do work, physically helping.

"We do very little of it now. We have fewer members and we get fewer requests.

"We respond to requests but it's like offering people a £5 note in the street, they say, `What's the catch?'"

He added he hoped more organisations would take advantage of the scheme in the future.

For more information about the centre, and the many services it provides, call 01484 300970.