WHEN the old Rose Hill community centre opened its doors in September 1956 it heralded a new era for Oxford as the first such facility ever in the city.

Almost six decades later hopes are high that the new £4.7m centre in Ashhurst Way, which will be officially opened by the Lord Mayor today, will lead the way not just in Oxford but across the country.

Work on the centre has finally been completed 14 months after a groundbreaking ceremony in November 2014, which came after it was decided to build a new centre rather than refurbish the old one in The Oval.

Oxford city councillor for the area Ed Turner said he was delighted it was finished.

He said: “It is the start of a new era and it is a fantastic new idea to have all of these things – the health centre, the advice centre, the gym and so on – under one roof.

“That is something really quite unique, not just in Oxford but nationwide. It’s supposed to provide a really high quality space for people to use.

“We have always said it is not just a building, it’s about being the heart of the community.”

The new community centre is the first built by Oxford City Council in 25 years and has already been used for ‘soft’ launches by some groups, such as the estate’s junior youth club.

Fitness instructor Hiren Patel, who will run the centre’s gym, said he was looking forward to encouraging more people in the area to get fit.

The 31-year-old said: “I am keen to put my own stamp on it and get the gym up and running.

“I have got a few ideas to get people involved. I am looking to run challenges for people and get people into the gym and more active. I am also intending to run circuit training.

“We have stuff for everybody here.”

The official opening ceremony today will run from noon until 4pm, starting with a ribbon being cut by Lord Mayor Rae Humberstone.

There will be a chance to try out the gym, a Punch and Judy show and a demonstration from youth dance group Lil Tapz.

Rose Hill community worker Fran Gardner, who also runs the estate’s junior youth club, said youngsters loved the new centre.

They had their first session there last week and enjoyed a healthy meal cooked in the centre’s kitchen using food donated by FareShare Thames Valley, which redistributes food from supermarkets which would otherwise go to landfill.

Ms Gardner said she hoped the new centre would allow this provision to be expanded to benefit more people in the community, but that plans were still at an early stage.

She said: “We would like to open a ‘community shop’, but it would not necessarily be shopping in normal terms.

“Up north, they do a lot of these community shops where people who are on benefits can come in, show evidence that they are on benefits, and buy food at a massively reduced rate.

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  • The main entrance

“The reason we started giving out food at junior youth club was that we had children crying because they were so hungry.

“Last week we were able to use this kitchen to cook toad-in-the-hole, pasta with fresh vegetable sauce and apple crumble.

“It is such a wonderful facility.”

What it has to offer:
A new social club
Bill Buckingham ballroom
Norman Brown Hall
Gym
Youth rooms
Changing rooms
Advice centre
Community library
Cafe area
Health facility