The Friar Park Millennium Centre, a community hub at the heart of Wednesbury’s Friar Park neighbourhood, celebrated the official opening of its newly expanded and refurbished facilities.
It marks the completion of a major investment funded by the government as part of the Levelling Up Partnership Programme.
The renovated and extended building now offers enhanced facilities for the community, including a community café, dedicated youth space and permanent library. The project has transformed the centre into a modern, flexible facility that will support residents of all ages through learning opportunities, skills development, youth activities, community events and social spaces, providing more opportunities for local people to come together and further strengthening its role at the heart of the Friar Park community.
Linda Matthews, Chair of Friar Park Millennium Centre Board, said: “Everyone at the Millennium Centre has been looking forward to this day since work first began. We know the building work has caused disruption over the past year and I'd like to thank everyone who uses the centre, staff, volunteers and partners for their patience and especially Julie and Sam for their hard work in keeping things going for the community.
“We’re proud to open our new improved centre and welcome all the community and all generations back to use and enjoy our wonderful building both now and for many years to come.”
Chair of the Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Board, Kallianne Titley, said: "It’s great to see the new Friar Park Millennium Centre officially open and being used by the community. This investment has created a much better space for local people, whether that’s young people coming in for youth activities, residents learning new skills or groups coming together for activities and events.
"We’ve already seen the difference that the Levelling Up Partnership investment is making across Wednesbury, and this project is another example of how the partnership is creating opportunities and improving places for people who live here."
Sandwell Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Growth Councillor Nock, said: "The completion of this project is a significant achievement for Friar Park and Wednesbury. The Millennium Centre is valued in the Friar Park community and these improvements will ensure the centre can continue supporting residents for many years to come.
"Friar Park has also been selected to benefit from the government’s new Pride in Place Programme with £20million investment over the next 10 years. I’m looking forward to hearing the ideas from the community for this next phase of investment in Friar Park.”
The refurbishment and extension were delivered by Seddon Property Services, which worked closely with Sandwell Council and the Millennium Centre throughout the project.
The centre was opened with a ribbon cutting event attended by Millennium Centre staff, Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Board, councillors and young people who use the centre. Residents are encouraged to contact the centre directly for bookings and details of activities.
Email: fpmccentremanager@gmail.com
Phone: 0121 556 0139
For more information, please visit the Regenerating Sandwell website.