Doncaster Dome is helping to get people on incapacity benefit back to work as part of a government-led initiative.

The leisure complex is giving members of the Condition Management Programme (CMP) free access to the gym and healthy eating plans. It will also offer free three- or 12-month membership packages, thanks to an agreement with the Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund.

Led by Jobcentreplus, and part of the Department of Work & Pensions Pathways to Work scheme, CMP is a voluntary programme for new and existing incapacity benefit claimants.

Darren Bickerstaffe, CMP Project Manager for South Yorkshire, said: “The purpose of the programme is to help people who are on incapacity benefit to understand the importance of health and learn techniques to better manage it, returning to some form of work is a realistic option.”

Hosted by Barnsley Primary Care Trust on behalf of Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley health communities, the CMP in South Yorkshire expands this year to include Sheffield this. To date, around 20,000 claimants have been helped back to work by the programme nationwide since it started in 2003.

John Whiteley, head of Leisure at The Dome, says: "It’s a way of putting something back into our community. We have social responsibility to help where we can and helping to tackle unemployment is helping boost our local economy.”