A COMMUNITY centre has honoured a council officer who has played a key role in its development.

Healthworks, in Easington Colliery, has named its main meeting room after Graeme Greig, a senior public health specialist at Durham County Council.

Mr Greig was instrumental in the transformation of the former pumping house on Paradise Lane into a community resource.

While working at Easington Primary Care Group in 2004, he and a small team of staff, led negotiations for the refurbishment and development of the building and successfully secured funding through the East Durham Local Strategic Partnership and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

The honour is recognition of Mr Greig’s tireless work to promote support services for the local community and his commitment to Healthworks volunteers.

The centre, which is now run by Wellbeing for Life, offers a range of activities and services to promote and health and wellbeing, including adult learning, a gym and internet café.

Mr Greig said: “It was a privilege to have worked with so many great people in developing Healthworks for the benefit of local people”.

He was nominated for the honour by Cllr David Boyes, chairman of the East Durham Wellbeing for Life Partnership Forum.

Cllr Boyes said: “Graeme was instrumental in creating and setting up Healthworks, and a great deal of its success is down to his hard work and good chairmanship.”