Former bank is now district's Community Hub

A rare moment of bright sunshine graced the ribbon-cutting ceremony which marked the opening of the new Rother Community Hub.

Sharing Old Bank Chambers in Buckhurst Road are Rother Citizens' Advice Bureau, Rother Voluntary Action, Bexhill Young People's Services and Bexhill Race Action Forum. The building also offers a community meeting room.

The idea of grouping these services under a single roof came from the need for the Citizens' Advice Bureau to make its third move in seven years.

Previous proposed uses for the former bank building have ranged from Rother overspill offices to a pub.

Rother District Council upped its grant to the CAB by 3,000 a year to 75,000 to cover the increased rent and ploughed 20,000 into the building's conversion.

Council chairman Cllr Martin Kenward, Town Mayor Cllr Paul Lendon, chief executive Derek Stevens and other councillors and chief officers were present this morning to see the High Sheriff of East Sussex, Caroline Mayhew, cut the ribbon across the Hub's front door.

Internal partitioning has divided the old ground floor banking hall into a range of offices for the CAB, which can now offer six interview rooms instead of the previous five to cope with the ever-increasing demand from the public for help with pressing problems such as debt-counselling.

Upstairs, Rother Voluntary Action, a infrastructure support organisation assisting voluntary and community sector organisations across the district, has its offices.

Welcoming the High Sheriff and other guests from the front step of the "wonderful new building," RVA chairman Jo Kirkham said: "Thank you for coming and making this a very special day. Two years ago we never dreamt that we would be coming to a place as splendid as this."

CAB chairman Grahame Mountford, in introducing the High Sheriff, thanked everyone who had helped bring the Hub project to fruition.

Amid laughter, he said that after three moves in seven years people had said of the CAB: "Where are you going next..?"

Among her charitable work in the county, the High Sheriff is advisor to Hailsham CAB.

Thanking Rother District Council, Rother CAB and Rother Voluntary Action for making the venture possible, she said: "I am told the idea was conceived on April 17 and I would guess that this has been a tremendous challenge to have it operational by today so I congratulate all of you who have been involved in making this possible.

"The Hub is ideally positioned in the town centre. It is accessible and we all know that accessibility is important to the CAB and the RVA and for the myriad of community support groups who are going to be using this building."

She knew from experience how important citizens' advice bureaux were in helping people to make their own decisions when faced with difficult situations and the value of organisations like Rother Voluntary Action.

Declaring the building open, the High Sheriff said: "I would like to thank everyone who has made this Hub possible."