A water activity centre near Denholme has been awarded more than £84,000 of Olympic legacy funding to transform it into a high-quality water sports venue unique to the district.

The money will be used to carry out extension and refurbishment work at Doe Park Water Activities Centre, giving it much-needed accessible changing facilities, a training room and a sheltered auditorium for events and regattas.

Bradford Council’s leisure department, which rents the Doe Park Reservoir from Yorkshire Water, has secured the money from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund.

Councillor Andrew Thornton, the Council’s executive member responsible for sport and leisure, said: “We are delighted to secure one of the first Inspired Facilities grants, which will enable us to upgrade the quality of our premises to match the quality of services at Doe Park.

“It is a key aim of the district’s sports strategy to improve the quality of facilities and to give outstanding opportunities for the 2012 Olympics legacy.”

Shipley MP Philip Davies said: “This is terrific news for everyone involved at Doe Park Water Activities Centre. I know how hard everyone has worked on this project and to secure funding for it. I hope it helps to bring Olympic inspiration to my constituency and beyond.”

The centre, which opened in 1988, provides courses including sailing, canoeing, kayaking and raft-building.

It also offers outdoor education programmes such as pond dipping, nature trails and team building.

The venue is one of 350 local community facilities which have been offered a total of £17.4 million in Olympic legacy funding through the fund.

Sport England chairman Richard Lewis said: “This fund has really hit the mark with sports clubs in Yorkshire. It shows we’re offering the legacy that people want for their local community. For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their local sports facilities got better.”