A VENUE has celebrated year of serving the community.

Easington MP Grahame Morris attended Horden Hub House in Horden, near Peterlee, to mark the first birthday of the centre, managed by East Durham Trust and established with funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.

East Durham Trust chief executive Malcolm Fallow said: “The centre has quickly established itself as a key part of the infrastructure of Horden. This is largely down to the hard work of staff, volunteers and other partners across Horden.”

Andy Lock, Coalfields Regeneration Trust head of operations, added: “The Coalfields Regeneration Trust are delighted to provide this resource to the people of Horden and it has been extremely gratifying to see how well local people have been supported.”

Since setting up, the Seventh Street venue has welcomed nearly 1,000 people, established a number of regular activities and recruited local volunteers to help out.

Many of those attending have got access to support with crisis situations, including help with applying for grants and benefits, debt advice and support, resolving housing related issues.

It has also helped with the provision of emergency food parcels, accessing transport to work, referrals to external agencies, form filling and general advice and signposting.

Volunteers and residents have been supported to develop skills and gained qualifications up to Level 3, and in some cases have gone onto gain employment.

The project has also created two groups who regularly meet in the Hub House. The Crafty chat group and Men’s group meet every week and engage with the local residents, where they enjoy shared interests and socialise.