PEOPLE are getting fit and healthy thanks to a grant of more than £200,000.

The Nouveau Dance and Fitness community interest company, based in Durham, is now delivering fitness, health and wellbeing classes in the Stockton area due to the Reaching Communities Big Lottery Fund grant of £203,397.

Classes, which are mainly for adults, include family dancercise, to which children are welcome with parents or carers, and “Step Back in Time”, a

class incorporating a mix of dance styles across the decades.

Stockton team officer Shelly Baxter said: "We’ve already had a really good response from companies and agencies and we’re just starting to get word out to members of the public about the classes.

“The funding is for three years, but we hope over time to become self-sufficient so the project doesn’t have to end.

“We have lots on offer at a number of venues, including Preston Park Museum, Arc, community centres and libraries.

“We have three main projects: ‘Move with Us’, which is dancing and exercise, ‘Cook with Us’ delivering classes in healthy, nutritious and affordable cooking for families, and then classes out in communities.

“There’s also chair dance which is suitable for people who are either not so steady on their feet, or don’t have the confidence to get up and dance with others. That’s also a great social event because people get talking to others around them.”

The majority of classes are free, with some small charges where needed to cover costs.

For more details visit www.nouveaufitness.co.uk