Wait for Southfields community centre is finally over

Town mayor Emma Neno officially opened the Southfields Jubilee Centre, with guests including some of the groups who have already ensured the striking new building has a healthy bookings diary even before it is fully operational from next month.

That demand merely confirms what people living in the area had known for more than three decades, when a community centre was identified as a priority need for the area.

Standing alongside the sports pitches on the Southfields Recreation Ground, the centre has a main hall and a smaller hall, providing space to host exhibitions, meetings, social events, recreational activities, education/training, workshops and seminars.

It is managed by the town council, which contributed about £500,000 to the cost of building centre, with a further £200,000 coming via Arun in funding from developers of the Elysian Fields estate at Toddington.

For a full report on the opening and more pictures, pick up your copy of the Littlehampton Gazette out now (Thursday, August 16, edition).