A TEN-year dream has been realised after a new Bangladeshi and Muslim community centre was unveiled in Ipswich.The £270,000 project, which sits next to the mosque in Bond Street, will offer a base for religious, cultural and educational purposes.

A TEN-year dream has been realised after a new Bangladeshi and Muslim community centre was unveiled in Ipswich.

The £270,000 project, which sits next to the mosque in Bond Street, will offer a base for religious, cultural and educational purposes.

The building will be open to all of the community, regardless of their religion, and Muslim leaders hope it will help to further social cohesion in the town.

Mosque chairman, Mahbub Alam Shamim, said: “We have worked so hard and been dreaming for ten years, but because of funding difficulties we could not progress with our plans.

“But now we have this building and it is a very happy day. It feels wonderful, our dreams have come true.

“We are living in a very difficult and challenging time and it's important for this centre and mosque to play a part in creating a better understanding in the community.”

Mr Shamim said there were plans to build a new mosque on the site, which the Muslim community have occupied since 1984 and was once home to a fire station.

The building project, which is an extension of the existing centre, has been backed financially by Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council, while a series of fundraising activities have also boosted coffers.

To mark the opening, a string of Ipswich dignitaries made speeches, highlighting the importance of integration in the town.

Ipswich MP Chris Mole said: “We want to create community cohesion and I believe a fine facility like this can help.”