A POPULAR centre for adults with learning disabilities is to be unveiled today following a £38,000 revamp.

The Warren Road day centre, in Hartlepool, now has a sensory garden, an improved light and sound room, and a spa pool following the yearlong improvement project.

The Friends of the Sunflower Lounge, made up of staff and centre users, came up with the idea, and it has been funded through charity grants, private donations and fundraising events.

The completion of the project will bemarked with an official ceremony.

The new sensory garden has turned an overgrown area in the building's central quadrangle into a haven of tranquillity.

There are raised planting beds for herbs and scented flowers, the sound of trickling water from a fountain, a gazebo and seating, plus a large panel decorated with the handprints of the centre users.

Inside the centre, the hydrotherapy pool has been renamed the Eden Spa and has been renovated and redecorated with a Buddhist theme, symbolising contemplation and serenity.

Meanwhile, spare changing room space near the spa has been turned into an area for relaxationmassages and therapies.

The centre already had a sound and light therapy room, but now it has been enhanced toinclude fibre-optic lighting, a bubble tube and a sound system providing a musical accompaniment.

There is also a large cinema screen for film screenings, with surround sound and Wii connections.

Pat Sprintall, community worker and Sunflower Lounge committeemember at the Warren Road day centre, said: "We set out to make the centre a better, more attractive place for the people who use it and to give them a wider choice of facilities.

"We're over the moon to see the project become reality.

"A lot of hard work has gone into it from the centre users and from the staff, who have put a lot of effort into fundraising and taken time out at weekends to paint and redecorate rooms.

"We are especially grateful to the organisations and individuals whose wonderful donations have enabled us to reach our goal."

A £7,000 donation to launch the project came from Hartlepool businessmen Harry Peek, Steve Winspear, Paul Wilson, Dave Garside and the late Derek Leighton. Plus, £20,000 came from the Hartlepool Partners community group and £5,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.

Staff and centre users raised £6,000 through a host of fundraising events.

Hartlepool firm Exclusive Garden Features donated the Buddha water feature and Borthwick Marble and Granite donated a piece of granite for the garden which has been inscribed in memory of absent friends.