Infinity Cheer & Dance club in South Ribble to move into new premises after three year battle
A popular cheerleading dance club will be doing back flips after being given the green light to move into new premises after a three battle.
Infinity Cheer & Dance is celebrating having been given the green light to move into new premises on Centurion Way, Leyland.
The club, which was established in 2012, is fully inclusive and caters for children from two years to senior athletes, as well as those with special educational needs and disabilities.
It has grown from just 12 class attendees to a huge 262 members. There are now 20 teams which train each week and most attend between two - four national competitions each season.
The 6,000 sq ft premises in Leyland which used to house a furniture warehouse will soon be transformed into Infinity’s new home with reception area, two sprung competition floors to train on and a dedicated homework/lounge area.
The club, which was set up by Sian Thorley from Clayton-le-Woods, not only supports strength and physical fitness but also provides life skills such as self-confidence, cooperation and organisation.
It had been continuing a plea for new premises for three years. Having been promised a unit at numerous places in South Ribble and Chorley, nothing materialised and, as such, the club’s hopes and dreams have taken many knocks.
Sian said: “I set up Infinity Cheer & Dance because having benefited from being a cheer squad member as a teen I spotted there was nothing like it available in the locality and I wanted to ensure this was something that people could have access to.
“In 2014 we moved from renting school space to a larger venue at an industrial unit in Whittle-le-Woods but we were informed that the building was to be demolished for new housing and so we set our sights on a new home.
“It’s been an extremely difficult and exhausting period, especially as we had to mitigate Covid and the impact this had on our members.
“It’s been a challenge not just for me personally but also for our coaches who dedicate their time to help build the club into something so special.”
She added: “Luckily we have a great network of parents and one of our cheer mums helped us secure a rented sprung floor venue at Frenchwood Primary School and we are beyond grateful for the school’s support.
“We’ve been able to hold all our classes here and cheer camps in the holidays, plus helping support the school’s community but we’ve known for some time that we have outgrown this space and it was only a temporary fix.
“We never gave up and Infinity Cheer & Dance is absolutely delighted to announce we have finally found a venue which can support our needs and growth as a club.
“South Ribble Council has granted permission for the change of use of the facility and we are grateful for this turnaround.
“Our new landlord has been really supportive installing a brand new roof as too have our Infinity Cheer family which has fundraised tirelessly so we can kit out our new home.”
To celebrate the move, the club hopes to throw open the doors to the new premises with a special open day later in July.
There is still time to help the club with the big move.
Anyone who can lend a hand or wishes to pledge time, resource or funds to help Infinity can get in touch directly with Sian by emailing [email protected]