A NEW centre has been opened at Felixstowe to help provide a range of community-based services to help people all over the town.

Ipswich Star: Tracy Markwell, Leading Lives Locality Manager, Andrew Rowe, Suffolk County Councils Our Place Felixstowe Officer, Tony Carr, Leading Lives Managing Director, and Suffolk County Councillor John Goodwin officially opened Leading Lives Felixstowe Community Hub.Tracy Markwell, Leading Lives Locality Manager, Andrew Rowe, Suffolk County Councils Our Place Felixstowe Officer, Tony Carr, Leading Lives Managing Director, and Suffolk County Councillor John Goodwin officially opened Leading Lives Felixstowe Community Hub. (Image: Archant)

The Leading Lives Community Hub is in the renovated buildings of the former community education resource centre in the grounds of Felixstowe Academy’s Maidstone Campus.

A special open day enabled people to visit the centre and find out about the wide range of community facilities available in the town, from support for vulnerable people to adult learning and leisure opportunities, bringing together a diverse collection of voluntary groups, service providers and charities under one roof.

Organisations attending included Mencap Felixstowe, Suffolk Police, Lime Skills, Felixstowe Hockey Club, Level 2, Realise Futures, Felixstowe Library as well as Leading Lives.

They are part of the Our Place initiative which has focused on how organisations from all sectors can work together to provide a comprehensive collection of services and activities that reflect people’s needs.

The community hub is used by many different organisations and is specially equipped with hoist and wet room for use by people with disabilities and their carers.

Leading Lives managing director Tony Carr said: “It is important that organisations which provide important community-based services do so in partnership with each other and really address the needs of some of the more vulnerable members of our society.

“We, like many others, are a local organisation and we want the whole community to be part of the important work we do with adults with learning disabilities and for our customers to feel part of their local communities.

“We also want to ensure we make most effective use of the building based resources we have.”

Leading Lives provides community services for adults with learning disabilities, including autism, older people and young people in transition, and family carers across Suffolk.