Volunteers in Gomersal are reviving a community centre plan hit by the discovery of contaminated land.

Core members of Gomersal ACT (A Community Together) have joined forces again in an attempt to spend around £30,000 raised by local people and provided by Kirklees local education authority.

ACT disbanded last year after plans for a centre in Butts Hill collapsed when heavy metal poisons were found in the soil.

An £80,000 grant offered by the National Lottery to build and run the centre had to be turned down after the devastating find that the proposed site was too dangerous to use.

ACT chairman and headteacher of St Mary's First School Charles Woodbridge said: "We're back to try and sort this project out.

"I only have to look at the kids at school to know they need a centre.

"About four or five of us have been meeting and we have to decide how we are going to get around the problem of finding a suitable site.

"We won't be launching anything for the public until we have concrete plans because people are fed up with it after we failed last time."

"There's still money waiting to be spent from what people collected. We've had some time off but we're now ready to have another try."

Community groups and schools in Gomersal helped with the six-year project. Events were staged and the project had a logo designed by a pupil at Gomersal Middle School.

The land in Butts Hill, which was the site of a former textiles mill, was proposed by Kirklees LEA which had supported ACT. It would have cost around £80,000 to clean-up.

A new centre would aim to serve the Shirley and Barrington housing estates and Gomersal village and run activities for all ages.

The ACT committee hopes to have developed a plan of action by the end of summer.

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