AN £800,000 community centre has been officially opened in Hartlepool.

The Community Initiatives Centre, built on land near Hindpool Close, will act as a focal point for people of all ages in the community.

A wide range of training programmes for local residents will be carried out in the centre, and it will be used as a base for community organisations to work from, to tackle issues such as unemployment.

The centre has been developed by the Central Residents' Association and is a flagship scheme of the North Hartlepool Partnership, which is using Single Regeneration Budget money from the Government to regenerate North Hartlepool and the Headlands.

The centre includes a reception, caf, main hall, fitness and training room, and IT training suite, and a creche.

As well as North Hartlepool Partnership cash, the scheme received funding from the European Regional Development Fund, One NorthEast's Community Investment Fund, Hartlepool council and the Northern Rock Foundation