Last updated at 14:11, Friday, 11 January 2013

A former caretaker’s house at Maryport Infant School has been converted into a community centre.

PRESCHOOL CLUB: Youngsters keep busy at the preschool breakfast club in the former caretaker’s bungalow at Maryport Infant

Headteacher, Tina Beddoe, said that when the three-bedroom bungalow was no longer required for a caretaker, she decided to take the opportunity to turn it into something the community could use.

She added: “We have The Settlement on High Street but there is really nothing at this end of town and I thought this was an opportunity to do something.”

Around £30,000 has been invested in renovating the bungalow to create a large meeting room and kitchen facilities, two smaller rooms and a fourth room which has been fitted out to become an IT suite.

The Bungalow, as it is now called, is used as a breakfast club for children from Maryport Infant and Junior schools in the morning.

A one-day activities event for children has already been held and was oversubscribed.

Mrs Beddoe said it was hoped to run another event at Easter.

Nicola Woolley, Maryport Schools’ Partnership co-ordinator, said The Bungalow would not be run for profit which meant that hiring space would be affordable to the community.

She said she hoped to organise an open event for potential users of the new community centre.

First published at 13:59, Friday, 11 January 2013
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk