A MOSAIC created for Blackbird Leys’ 50th birthday will return to its rightful home next week.

The artwork, which was created by the residents of the Oxford estate for the anniversary five years ago, was taken down from the outside of the community centre after suffering weather damage.

But after months of painstaking restoration work, the mosaic will be put back in place next Saturday.

The return of the mosaic to its rightful home will form part of a community event celebrating the organisations which use the centre in Blackbird Leys Road.

Leys city councillor Val Smith said: “The point of this day is to let people know that the community centre is there and about all the things that go on there.

“And we’ll be making it as minimum a cost as possible, as we want the whole estate to be able to enjoy it.

“So much goes on here and so we want to celebrate Blackbird Leys and what the people here have to offer.”

The community centre is home to youth clubs, the Blackbird Leys Boxing Club, employment groups, an IT club and the estate’s parish council.

It is currently managed by Oxford City Council but it is planned to return control of the building to residents once this event has been held.

The day will include dancing displays by local groups, refreshments, a bouncy castle and a host of other activities organised by the Leys Community Development Initiative.

Mrs Smith added: “We’ve got lots of organisations coming along showing what they have to offer.”

Clare Goodall helped to repair the mosaic with a team of estate residents.

She said: “We had a lovely group of people working hard on the mosaic and a lot of them were the original creators of it.

“It looked really good when it was finished, it gave it a new lease of life.

“It was quite uplifting to everyone working on it. People got quite excited when we were nearing completion.”

She added: “It’s huge and it’s bright, you can’t miss it.

“I think the building really benefits from it being there.”

The Your Community, Your Centre, Get Involved event will run from noon until 4pm.