Joy as £4.5m centre opens its doors

3:50pm Monday 13th October 2008

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A week of celebrations to mark the opening of a multi-million pound community facility has begun.

The doors of the £4.5-million Cottingley Cornerstone Centre were thrown open today, following six years of fundraising by residents.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Howard Middleton, welcomed guests to the micro-village, complete with community centre, nursery, elderly day care facility, GP surgery and more than 50 homes.

The Littlelands site also houses the new St Michael and All Angels Church, where the first wedding has already been booked.

Celebrations continue with various community events until Friday at the site, which has been supported by Prince Charles since he visited the village in 2002.

Later this year, he will be invited to officially open the site.

Centre manager Zoë Marston said: “This week is just the opening week, we will officially open later in the year. Fingers crossed the Prince will come to that – he has showed such an interest in the project all the way through.”

Development worker Emily Godfrey said the centre was not just for people across the Aire Valley, but for anyone in the district.

The venture is a charity and money to use facilities will be ploughed back in to the site.

Trustee Irene Senior said: “What a relief! It has been a long, hard project, but people have been amazed by it. I never thought we would have anything like this in Cottingley.”

Church member Moira Smith said she was “delighted” with the new church.

She said: “The centre is quite overwhelming, and I hope the community will get involved.”

The final touches have been made to the centre but regeneration work is still envisaged in the village. Residents were given the opportunity to view £55,000 plans for The Oval at a forum in the village last night. Plans include landscaping, a seating area and trees, including a Christmas tree.

Bradford Council is also looking to improve parking and the pavement outside the village’s row of shops along The Parade.

For more information about this week’s activities, call Emily Godfrey on (01274) 512800 or 07825 046300 or visit cottingleycornerstone.org.uk.

e-mail: mel.fairhurst@telegraphandargus.co.uk