PORTLAND Community Venue will be opening its doors to the public for the first time with a Family Fun Day and all are welcome.

The event will run from 11am to 3pm on Saturday, March 30 and there will be a chance for the people of Portland to come and see their newly revitalised community venue.

There will be entertainment, a bouncy castle, light refreshments, craft stalls and information from local groups keen to keep you in the know on services and developments on the island.

Portland Town Councillor Susan Cocking, who has been project lead for the new centre, said: “This building belongs to the people of Portland. It’s for the whole community, however young or old and we are thrilled to showcase it with our Family Fun Day.”

The venue, owned by Portland Town Council, exists at the old Brackenbury school site at Three Yards Close and has been revitalised using a £72,000 grant from LEADER to create a multi-purpose community facility for the island.

It currently houses Allsorts nursery and the drop-in youth centre with other rooms available for hire, including a newly refurbished bright and warm hall, fully equipped kitchen, a studio and private consultation space, this is an ideal venue for community or corporate events, meetings, celebrations and evening classes.

The venue's various rooms are now available for public bookings.

The hall is perfect for a wide range of activities such as dance and exercise classes, toddler groups, public meetings, catering events, as a sales venue or many other functions.

There is a sitting room which is an open access area with internet access and can be used by room users without additional charge and for short meetings by community groups. It can also be used for exhibitions by community groups.

A mid-sized comfortable studio room is suitable for smaller meetings.

A lobby consisting of two connecting small rooms could be suitable for private interviews or specialist clinics.

Further information for those wishing to hire a room can be found at www.portlandcommunityvenue.co.uk or by calling 01305 821 638.

Stall holders interested in attending the Family Fun Day should email bookings@portlandcommunityvenue.co.uk