AN official opening ceremony for Wellington Town Council’s Kings Arms community hub was held on Tuesday morning (September 30).

The hub opened quietly in July to allow community groups to start making use of it and for any teething issues to be smoothed out.

Civic dignitaries performing the official opening were Somerset Deputy Lord Lieutenant Colin Drummond, High Sheriff of Somerset Janet Montgomery, local MP Gideon Amos, and Wellington Mayor Cllr Janet Lloyd.

About 70 guests attended the occasion, including Somerset Council chairman Cllr Mike Best and council leader Cllr Bill Revans.

Town council chief executive Dave Farrow outlined the history of the project, starting with its closure as a public house at the end of 2015 and how Wellington-based Falcon Rural Housing Association bought it six years later with the intention of developing social rent flats on the upper two floors and converting the ground floor for community use.

Pictured at the opening of Wellington's Kings Arms community hub are (left to right) town Cllr Catherine Govier-Wiggins, Wellesley Park School headteacher Carly Wilkins, Mayor Cllr Janet Lloyd, and St John's School head Olliver Priestley.
Pictured at the opening of Wellington's Kings Arms community hub are (left to right) town Cllr Catherine Govier-Wiggins, Wellesley Park School headteacher Carly Wilkins, Mayor Cllr Janet Lloyd, and St John's School head Olliver Priestley. (Tindle News)

Mr Farrow said the building was in a poor state at the time and Falcon approached the town council which agreed to cover the £80,000 fit out costs of the conversion and manage the hub and was able to attract a £35,000 grant to run it for the first year.

He said over the intervening years Wellington had lost its children’s centre and youth centre and other significant social enterprises, leaving a gap in community facilities which the council was now filling.

Mr Farrow said since July the council had been overwhelmed with the interest shown in making use of the hub and the positive feedback from those who did so.

He said: “This hub is a shining example of what a town council can achieve working in partnership with its community.”

Mr Farrow praised pupils of the town’s Court Fields School who had worked with the council to help design the facility, which already was being used by large numbers of young people.

Mr Drummond, who lives in nearby Langford Budville, praised the young people of Wellington who had taken a lead in helping with the Kings Arms hub.

He told guests the hub would help to alleviate the feeling of isolation which so many people today experienced.

Somerset Council leader Cllr Bill Revans (left) chats to Wellington Town Council staff and guests at the opening of the Kings Arms community hub.
Somerset Council leader Cllr Bill Revans (left) chats to Wellington Town Council staff and guests at the opening of the Kings Arms community hub. (Tindle News)

Mr Drummond said health and social care services could not cope and it was necessary to ‘reach out and support each other’ with projects such as the community hub.

Cllr Lloyd said the town had also lost its stroke club and WHERE health education centre and the community hub would also help to fill the void left by such organisations.

She said an increasing number of groups had started using the hub since its soft opening in the summer.

Cllr Lloyd said: “I think it is totally worthwhile and the council taxpayers of Wellington will see the benefit one way or the other by using it for their groups.”

The Kings Arms is currently operating Monday to Thursday each week under the town council’s community hub manager Kelly Enfield, who can be contacted by anybody who wants to use it by emailing [email protected].