On Friday 5th May at 1:30pm the Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney will unveil a plaque to mark the re-opening of the Youth and Community Centre, School Road, Onchan.
The Centre has been refurbished by the Onchan District Commissioners to reflect the modern needs of the community of Onchan and includes a community room, meeting room, youth club, sports hall, accessible toilets and baby change facilities.
"The original building was originally opened in June 1973 and has served the community well" says Chairman Robin Turton. The refurbishment has radically changed the internal space allowing the addition of modern facilities such as Wi-Fi and Satellite TV as well as the traditional sports hall.
In order to reflect the changes to the building, Onchan District Commissioners asked local school children to suggest a new name for the building. Year 5 Pupils from Onchan School suggested that it should be called "the Onchan Hub" and this has been adopted by the Commissioners.
The re-opening of the Youth and Community Centre will be the finale of the Lieutenant Governor's tour of Onchan District which will see him visit businesses, be a passenger in a rally car and view some of the social housing provided by the Commissioners.
Following the official opening there will be a less formal community open evening between 3:30pm and 8pm where food and drink will be available from local companies and anybody will be able to come and look round the building to see what is available.
The refurbishment has provided an opportunity to introduce the latest technology into the building with high speed broadband providing public Wi-Fi and allowing remote control to the heating and lighting. In addition there are Bluetooth speakers in each room which can be controlled from a mobile phone, a projector in the meeting room and a youth facility with Satellite TV and games consoles.
Bookings for the rooms in the Onchan Hub can be made online via the Commissioner's website or by telephone to their offices on 675564.