The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Abid Latif Chohan, has officially opened a new church and community centre following its refurbishment.

The Salvation Army’s Manchester Central church and community centre, located on Grosvenor Street, saw a range of organisations and members of the local community come together to mark the opening of the refurbished building which was made possible thanks toconstruction company Willmott Dixon’s Manchester team.

The new centre will now offer the local area a community café and a grocery shop, aptly titled Sally’s Grocery Store. The grand reopening saw cuisine on offer from different countries, a Tai Chi performance and African dancers, and as the centre operates in a diverse community with over 25 different languages being spoken, visitors chose to attend in their country’snational dress. Cllr Abid Latif Chohan shared in the day, spoke to the local community and enjoyed the cuisine.

Captain Kay Blues, leader of The Salvation Army Manchester Central church and community centre said:“We wanted the community centre to give people in the local area what they wanted and needed, we asked them, listened and put it into reality their requests which is where the new grocery store and community café came from.

“The event showcased the excellent work that all involved carried out to redevelop the centre, making it a hub of activity for the local community and we were so pleased that the Lord Mayor of Manchester was able to join us for the celebration.

“The event also championed diversity in the area, and in Manchester, and really reflected the people living around us. Our doors are always open to all and we’re so proud to be able to welcome everyone to share in what has been created!”

Willmott Dixon brought together a team of 50 volunteers to deliver a refurbishment worth £118,000 headed up by a member of the company’s Management Trainee Scheme; Jack Hall, from Oldham. Willmott Dixon’s Manchester supply chain partners and customers donated their time and resources making the transformation of the building possible.

The newly refurbished building, which saw remodelling take place to provide an IT training room, meeting spaces and a food bank, will also house The Works; a partnership between The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, City South Manchester Housing Trust and Work Solutions. The Works has helped more than 4,000 people back into work in the seven and a half years it has been formedand it makes the move to The Salvation Army from its original Moss Side base, which it has now outgrown.

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