FRIENDS of the Riverside Community Centre are looking forward to the future after dozens of community groups and residents flooded through its doors for the first time.

Boasting a main hall, upper hall, arts and crafts room, three meeting rooms and a cafe, the nearly completed community centre, which will serve 20 different parishes in the Malmesbury area, opened on Friday, February 10, for the first drop-in session. Groups including the Girl Guides, fitness clubs and charities had the chance to look around and find out more about the centre, which hopes to rejuvenate community spirit.

Chair Kim Power said: "After this building went into disrepair, we put the idea of a community centre to Wiltshire Council and they agreed to spend £250,000 doing it up.

"We have had a lot of people coming and going all day and we hope that the centre can be used 24/7 – it's unlike anything else in the town because of its location and size.

"It is also not just for Malmesbury. The community area includes 20 different parishes, some of which have small groups that are not able to sustain their activities so we hope our affordable hire costs – starting from just £6 – will help with that."

The Friends also want to promote community cohesion by working with village halls and replicating events held in Malmesbury elsewhere.

After touring the centre, Coun Andrew Woodcock, of the Malmesbury branch of PROBUS, said: “I feel like I am in nirvana. I think the organising committee should be commended for what they have done in refurbishing the building and breathing new life into the community. It is money well spent.”

The trustees, including Coun Catherine Doody, praised all those involved.

She said: "Wiltshire Council have been amazing and our community engagement manager Ollie Phipps was just great. He is our in-between man and he works amazingly hard. It has not been easy but we are finally here."

The Friends will be hosting a seniors drop-in event on Friday from 10.30am-1.30pm. There will also be a band night for under 21s, plus creative workshops from 4.30pm on Saturday.

For more information or to make a booking visit www.riversidecommunitycentre.org.uk