A CEREMONY to mark the first turf cut at a community centre took place this week.

In April, Holy Trinity Church, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, launched an appeal to build a community centre. Seven months later, £760,000 was raised and work on the site has begun.

The Right Reverend Robert Ladds, Bishop of Whitby, said the appeal had been realised in a spirit of cooperation and brought together many groups in the community.

To emphasise this, he was joined by Acharya Prem Sharma, a Hindu priest, in blessing the project.

Children from North Ormesby Primary School and St Alphonsus RC Primary School also buried a time capsule, with items from the North Ormesby History Society and Scouts. Bishop Ladds said: "The new Trinity Centre will provide up-to-the-minute accommodation, equipment and a range of resources that are not only much-needed, but also take forward the opportunity being presented by the development and improvement of the whole area."