St Lawrence Church opened as new community facility

11.19.37am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 11th Jun 2008

St Lawrence Church opened through Lib Dem action

The medieval town centre church of St Lawrence will soon begin a new life as a 21st Century community facility for the people of Ipswich, when it reopens on Thursday 8th May.

The project has been funded by Ipswich Borough Council and a Government Growth Point Status grant of £700,000.

Ipswich Borough Council has been working closely with a number of community groups who want to use the facility, including Age Concern Suffolk, the Ipswich Council for Voluntary Services (ICVS), Ipswich Arts Association (IAA), Ipswich Historic Churches Trust (IHCT), and Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE).

The Borough Council is also working with Whitehouse Enterprises to operate a cafeé that is open from 10.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday, and 10.00am to 2.00pm on Saturdays. The cafeé will offer employment opportunities to people with learning and physical disabilities.

Genesis, another social enterprise, are using the centre to show-case some of their excellent work and have some of their clients demonstrating their skills.

In its new form, the facility meets the needs of a wide and diverse Ipswich community and still provides a central place for people to meet, sit down and have a cup of tea.

St Lawrence Centre, Dial Lane, Ipswich

Telephone: 0844 7369710

www.stlawrencecentre.co.uk (opens in a new window)