THE Right Reverend David Hope, Archbishop of York, will officially open a community centre at North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, on Thursday.
The long-awaited Trinity Centre was built as the result of an appeal, which raised the money in record time.
The Reverend Graham Usher, the vicar of North Ormesby, said: "The aim of the centre is to provide both the congregation of Holy Trinity Church, as well as local residents, with a place of support, learning, culture, faith and fun.
"Over £750,000 has been raised by our supporters and through sponsorship in order to make this wonderful facility happen.
"We set ourselves a seemingly impossible task but, together, we have achieved a remarkable building for the people of North Ormesby."
The centre will be turned into a theatre only three weeks after the opening, for a community-organised pantomime, The Wizard of Oz, which is staged by the North Ormesby Minstrels.
Even before it has been officially opened, the hall has won a Duke of Edinburgh Community Initiative award for being a good example of working in partnership with local people.
The hall that the new centre replaces doubled as a church after the original Holy Trinity Church was virtually destroyed in an arson attack. A new church opened in 1981.
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