Penrith Netball club has been awarded community club of the year, by the Cumbria Sports Awards.

With Covid-19 forcing the operations of the club to undergo transformation, bouncing back to the court with a stronger social and community presence earned the group of 110 members the accolade. 

The award was presented to the club by a member of Active Cumbria ahead of the club's winter break.

Committee secretary Harriet Holmes said the announcement of the result on BBC Radio Cumbria was "a really nice surprise".

"One of the points the judges raised was that we've been able to keep community spirit going throughout the pandemic," she said. 

"Keeping everyone's mental health on point is so important, particularly during a time when you can't separate work and home life. It's made it so important to have something like the connection from the club.

"We've got such a great community of members that help out, chip in and just provide general support to the committee, it's really lovely."

The entirely volunteer-led group runs both junior teams and senior within the Carlisle Netball League, with the ages ranging from 11 to 70. 

If you'd be interested in getting involved, the club is open to everyone over 11 years old with junior classes running from Mondays 6-7pm or 7-8pm, with senior classes taking place on Thursday at 6.30-8pm. 

Kicking the season off with a victory, the senior squad looks forward to increasing the momentum going into next year. 

"We're hoping to come back after Christmas with a bit of a bang," Ms Holmes added.