EXCITING times lie ahead for a community resource centre as a new project director takes the helm.

Robyn Holmes is looking forward to the challenge of steering the Four Clocks Centre in Bishop Auckland towards a vibrant future.

The 39-year-old already has plans in the pipeline to try to encourage more businesses in the area to come forward to give financial support to the project, which saw the complete transformation of the former Wesleyan church.

The church received a £675,000 make-over in order to become what is now a popular meeting place for members of the community.

The project is almost a year old and will celebrate its anniversary in style with a big fun day for all the family, on May 3rd. The project's annual meeting takes place on Tuesday .

Miss Holmes, who joined the Four Clocks team after working for the Council for Voluntary Services in Sedgefield borough, said: "I had heard of the Four Clocks and knew that it was seen as a good example for community partnership working. It has an excellent reputation and now we need to take it forward by developing more projects and initiatives with all the different sectors.

"Community involvement is something that is high on the Government's agenda and it is exciting to be involved in a project like this at this time."

Miss Holmes believes that the Four Clocks can have a central role in the changes in the job market by helping to train people in different posts, and this is where support from the private sector or local businesses could come in.

So far it can count a health drop-in and a youth project among its successes, but Miss Holmes hopes that by emphasising the idea of working together with the community the project can develop further and build on its initial success.