A very special guest opened a unique community facility in Warrington on Thursday 31 May.  HM the Queen accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub.

The hub is a unique project, which has been 15 years in the making, and transforms a former landfill site into a £30million state of the art community facility providing a wide range of leisure, health and cultural services all under one roof.

The ‘Orford Park Project’ is widely regarded as an example of best practice in promoting joint service delivery and economic regeneration in one of the town’s most deprived areas.

Over 20 national, regional and local organisations are actively involved in the delivery of the scheme which provides first-class community facilities including:

Library and ICT suites; community activity and meeting rooms; 14-19 learning centre; café; swimming pools; health and fitness suite; dance studios; squash courts; sports hall; crèche; three GP practices and a pharmacy.  The outdoor areas house a network of walking and cycling paths around the new grass sports pitches; skateboarding and BMX cycle park; upgraded children’s play area; floodlit bowling greens and a new pavilion.

The Orford Park Project has been recognised as an Olympic Legacy Project, (the only one outside London), for its commitment to delivering a tangible and long-lasting legacy from the Olympic Games.  It looks to provide sporting, economic, cultural, and environmental benefits that will continue to benefit the communities of Warrington for years to come. It has also been awarded a London 2012 ‘Inspire Mark.’

The project has been led by Warrington Borough Council however it will be managed by LiveWire, a new not-for-profit community interest company once opened in partnership with TONP (The Orford Neighbourhood Project), Warrington Collegiate, Warrington Wolves, William Beamont High School, Warrington Disability Partnership, Network Warrington and NHS Warrington.

www.livewirewarrington.co.uk