A COMMUNITY hub in the Clay Country will be holding a double celebration on Saturday (August 31).

ClayTAWC – a training and work centre and much more besides in St Dennis – is celebrating its 25th anniversary and the purchase of its building.

The centre has been able to put together the funds to buy its mid-19th century building which closed as an infants school in 1996.

ClayTAWC board chairman Cornwall councillor Dick Cole said: “The 25-year lease on the Old School Building in Fore Street was coming to an end and ClayTAWC had the opportunity to purchase from the charity which owned the building (Church Charity of John Arundel). The selling price for the building was £150,000.

“We have secured £96,560 from Shared Prosperity Funding (SPF), also known as Community Levelling Up, and £73,899 from the St Dennis and Nanpean Community Trust (incinerator fund). These funds cover the actual purchase, legal expenses and improvements to the kitchen.

“ClayTAWC had secured the lease on the building in October 1999 and the centre opened in the following year. Named the Clay Country Training and Work Centre, it worked with partners to provide training and other courses for local people. It has also operated as a community centre for St Dennis for nearly a quarter-of-a-century.

“In 2013, ClayTAWC was successful in securing vital funding to retrofit the building to boost its eco-friendly credentials. Work included the installation of new windows, loft insulation and lime mortar repointing of the exterior of the structure with some recladding.

“We estimate that in 2023 there were around 7,000 visits to the centre, but we are working hard to increase this to 10,000 visits per annum.”

Since opening, ClayTAWC has provided a wide range of services including both qualification and non-qualification courses, social groups and clubs, recreational activities, a community support and information room, affordable hired spaces, children’s workshops, a community food cupboard, inter-agency community hub events, a memory cafe, coffee mornings, workshops and a micro-library.

The celebration day will run from 10am to 3pm. There will be entertainment, demonstrations and a cake to mark the occasion.