An empty pub in Ipswich reopened on Saturday as a community cafe, venue and support centre.

The Royal Oak in Felixstowe Road closed in January 2014, but reopened on Saturday as The Oak Cafe.

The building is owned by the East of England Co-op, which leased it out to Simon Aalders in September last year to begin work on the conversion.

The space is now an alcohol-free cafe and music venue on the ground floor, while the first floor will be made up of short-stay accommodation rooms for those recovering from addictions.

Mr Aalders, who has more than 25 years of experience in working with addicts of all kinds – including drugs, shopping, alcohol and gambling addicts, aims to use the facility to help people of all ages gain the support, confidence and skills to move on from addiction.

“We want the café to be a comfortable, relaxed and safe space for people to chat and enjoy themselves, and we have even created a child friendly area for families to relax and play in,” he said.

“We are really pleased to be opening our doors to the public this weekend – it is the culmination of a lot of hard work and we look forward to welcoming everyone to the cafe for some great coffee, tea, sandwiches and cakes.”

The Oak also includes rooms for arts, music and craft groups to use, as well as counselling and therapy rooms.

Nick Denny, joint chief executive at the East of England Co-op said; “I am so impressed with the hard work and dedication that Simon and his team have put in to the project. The building has been completely transformed and is now a light, welcoming and warm space for people to enjoy.”