Community centre set to reopen after restoration

The refurbished building will be occupied by community arts charity The Hive and the Kirkgate Centre social action group

A West Yorkshire community centre is set to reopen after undergoing a year-long £2.5m renovation scheme.

The Kirkgate Centre, in Shipley, is set to open to the public again on 5 October, just over twelve months after the venue was closed for improvement works.

Original features of the building, which was formerly an old school constructed in the Victorian era, have been "sympathetically" restored as part of the project.

The property was converted into a community centre in the 1970s when the school closed, but became increasingly run down as years passed.

Shipley Town Council confirmed the venue would reopen "after a long 13 months overseeing the much-needed renovations", with the upgrade funded by money from the Shipley Towns Fund.

The refurbished building will be occupied by community arts charity The Hive and the Kirkgate Centre social action group, both of whom were previously based at the property.

A community event will be held on 5 October between 11:00 and 16:00 BST to allow people to see the completed works.

The centre will be "fully operational" from the following Monday, the town council said, with the Hive returning to the building in November.

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