CARTERTON has a new community centre to match its growing population.

Two years after agreeing the project, Carterton Town Council, working with community input, has announced it is opening the doors of the £1.5m Carterton Community Centre on Thursday. Town mayor, Maxine Crossland, said: “It is a big thing for Carterton, and something we are hugely proud of. It has been completed in time and under budget.”

The official opening of the building, at Trefoil Way, on the new Shilton Park housing estate, is being marked with an afternoon and evening of displays and activities, with almost 50 local groups and organisations taking part.

The town has a social centre, but the purpose-built community centre is sited away from the centre of town, in the heart of the new 1,200-home north east housing development.

It has been paid for through a combination of developer funding, grants from SEEDA, the regional development agency, and the landfill tax trust WREN, as well as £700,000 from the town council.

Town clerk, Janet Eustace, said that virtually all of the council’s contribution had come from sale of land and had had no impact on local council taxes.

The centre has been set up as a limited company, registered as a charity, and run by a management committee, chaired by Mrs Crossland’s husband, former town mayor, Brian crossland. He said: “It is very well equipped and suitable for a wide range of activities, from weddings to small meetings, and includes a community run cafe.”

The public open day with local groups is from 2pm to 8pm, including a pig roast. Mrs Crossland will perform the official opening at 6.30pm. Bookings and general information can be obtained from the manager, Gill Carver, on 01993 842807.