The first visitors were welcomed to the £39million Mildenhall Hub today, as the gradual phased reopening begins.
The new Mildenhall Library in the main atrium area, opened at 10am while Abbeycroft Leisure is welcoming some of its members and local clubs to a series of test events, building up to a full opening on Monday, June 14.
Allison Higgins from Lark Road, Mildenhall was the first customer at the Hub, said: “It is incredible.
“I love the atrium and library area and I’m looking forward to everything else, particularly the leisure facilities.
"It’s great to have everything under one roof.”
The phased opening of the Hub, which brings together education, health, leisure, community and public services, will see Abbeycroft start to take general bookings for its facilities from the end of next week, while Mildenhall College Academy will complete its move from its Bury Road site over half term, ready to welcome students from Monday, June 14.
Once fully open the Hub will offer a new school, two new pools, a gym, a 3G outdoor pitch, fitness studios and a sports hall, alongside a new town library, health centre, children’s centre and job centre.
The Hub also features office space for the NHS, police, Suffolk County Council and West Suffolk Council with the Hub partners all due to complete their move to the Sheldrick Way site over the summer.
Bruce Leeke, chief executive of Suffolk Libraries, said: “It’s really exciting to be opening a new library in the heart of this fantastic new facility and our customers will eventually benefit from the longer opening hours and the chance to access all these services under one roof.
"We take pride in our strong roots in the local community and look forward to working with other Hub partners to make the library even more than the sum of its parts.
"Libraries are a gateway to so much and we want to take this opportunity to encourage even more people to use our services and enjoy our diverse range of activities.”
Some final touches will be made on the car park and bus stop area over the next week or so ahead of the school opening.
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