ALL-weather sports pitches in Minehead came into their own when torrential rain hit the official opening of the new facilities.

The sudden downpour last Thursday forced organisers of the Get Active Festival - held to showcase the range of sports on offer at the West Somerset Sports and Leisure Centre and West Somerset Community College - to move some activities inside.

But the state-of-the-art all-weather pitches lived up to their name and allowed the hardier sports enthusiasts to continue outside.

The facilities officially unveiled at the event include a floodlight Astroturf pitch, four tennis courts, a netball court and two new multi-sports areas.

They have been created under a land-swap by the college as part of the New Horizons complex, which involves the construction of a new community hospital for Minehead.

The festival, which was funded by Active Exmoor, was the launchpad for a range of activities that will be available in the area over the summer months, from volleyball and power walking to mountain biking.

Tim Nightingale, managing director of Somerset Leisure, which manages the West Somerset Sports and Leisure Centre, said the festival had been part of a pro-active approach to help local people make the most of the leisure facilities in their area.

The event was said to have gone well, despite the weather which is thought to have hit the numbers attending.

Community college principal Nick Swann described the new all-weather sports facilities as "fabulous" and said they would be available not only to students but to the whole West Somerset community.

He said the official opening had been a celebration of what could be achieved through high quality partnership working.