IMPRESSIVE new facilities at a resource centre in the grounds of a north Suffolk hospital have been unveiled.The Rayner Green Resource Centre in the grounds of the Patrick Stead Hospital in Halesworth has been a popular and well-used facility for a number of years.

IMPRESSIVE new facilities at a resource centre in the grounds of a north Suffolk hospital have been unveiled.

The Rayner Green Resource Centre in the grounds of the Patrick Stead Hospital in Halesworth has been a popular and well-used facility for a number of years.

Following a £100,000 extension project the centre will also serve people living in the Blyth Valley.

The centre, given the Community Hospital Association award for innovation and joint working in 2002, is jointly funded by Waveney Primary Care Trust and Suffolk Social Care Services.

It provides users with vital support and management in their home environment, including one-to-one advice and consultation.

The new extension will give residents increased access to the centre, its support team and facilities, including walk-in shower units, a fully equipped sensory room, and a larger therapy room for use by health and social care professionals.

Patricia Kelly, whose husband Michael has been attending the centre for the past two years, cut the ribbon to officially unveil the new facilities yesterday.

"This is such an important centre for so many people and it is wonderful to see it extended and improved in this way. Everyone connected with the project deserves the highest praise," she said.

Acting service manager for the resource centre and the neighbouring Patrick Stead Hospital, Ingrid Phinn, said the centre was a lifeline for a large number of Waveney residents.

"The Friends of the Patrick Stead Hospital deserve a great deal of the credit for this extension. They raised a large percentage of the funds needed to build it and without them it would have taken a lot longer for the project to be completed," she said.