Camborne residents raised a cheer on Wednesday 15th October when Lady Mary Holborow JP, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, officially opened their radically refurbished Community Centre.

Improvements have included lifting the roof by a generous three feet and relieving the building of its many inconvenient staircases. With much more space available, greater numbers of people will be able to use the centre. In particular, it has now been made accessible to those with disabilities.

The development has been made possible thanks to funding from Engage West Cornwall, the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and the Home Office.

The building's previous, rather erratic layout included numerous small sets of staircases leading to separate levels. These have been removed and replaced with lifts, increasing both accessibility and floor area. Because the building is grade two listed, the outer walls had to be left unaltered. Inside, raising the roof has added significantly to the capacity of the rooms.

Even before its refit, the building was already being used by over 80 organisations for a wide array of different activities, ranging from churches and voluntary groups to colleges.

Project Leader Ian Thompson said: "The idea of upgrading the centre came from the community itself and we are all delighted with the outcome. Without funding for refurbishments, the building would eventually have been closed for safety reasons. Now it can be used for at least another 100 years by the people of Camborne."

Engage West Cornwall has been working to involve people in their communities by supporting projects like this with advice and funding. It acts on behalf of the South West of England Regional Development Agency, helping to distribute Government Single Regeneration Budget funds in Kerrier, Penwith and part of Carrick.

Christine Sanders of Engage said: "The Engage Neighbourhoods fund is particularly targeted at individuals and groups who, until now, have had little or no chance to be involved in community and social opportunities. It's great to see a lovely old building like this being enhanced and opened up to everyone in the area. It will be a very useful local facility for all."

Camborne Community Centre is open from 7.30am to 11.00pm daily (including Saturdays and Sundays). The management committee stresses that each and every one of Camborne's groups is entitled and welcome to use the venue. For bookings and enquiries call 01209 715457.