Saved health facility reopens in west Cornwall

A diabetic eye clinic opened on Thursday

The hospital closed in 2020

A former hospital which closed in Cornwall three years ago has reopened as a community health centre, following a £1m fundraising effort by local residents.

Edward Hain Hospital in St Ives was taken over by a community group following its controversial closure in 2020.

An NHS diabetic eye screening clinic got underway there on Thursday morning.

It is hoped more parts of the building will gradually open to other health services in future.

St Ives residents raised £1m to save the Edward Hain Memorial Hospital

In July, the centre's chair said the loss of the hospital was "devastating" and that town faced losing "much-needed health services".

The charity The League of Friends of the Former Edward Hain Memorial Hospital, which has raised funds for it since the 1960s, decided to buy the building in 2022.

The Edward Hain Centre said its top priority going forward was to pay off a £400,000 mortgage, as well as carrying out renovations and upgrades.

Lynn Franks, the centre manager said: "The vision that we had was that we would be able to provide a centre so that the community of St Ives did not have to travel miles and miles for medical appointments...

"To have this whole thing actually starting now is amazing".

She said there were plans for mental health services and other services to be provided there in future.