THE £1.7-million Lifehouse community centre at All Saints Highertown church was opened on Friday, with the ribbon being cut by the Rt Rev David Williams, Bishop of Truro, and Jayne Kirkham, MP for Truro and Falmouth.

Watching on were Cornwall Council chairman (and councillor for Truro Boscawen and Redannick) Rob Nolan; the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St Germans; city mayor Cllr Chris Wells; church staff, volunteers, worshippers and clergy past and present.

All were invited to explore the new centre, with its expansive café, spacious meeting rooms and Changing Places accessible toilet facilities.

Bishop David said: “What resonates very powerfully in our collective consciousness is that if we go on with creativity and imagination, some things will bear huge fruit – like this space responding to the needs of its community.”

Bishop Hugh recalled how in 2016, “the building didn’t have a lot of life left, and the church took the brave step of asking the community: ‘If we were to do something, what would you like?’”

“They answered: an open, welcoming, and energy-efficient space with multi-purpose meeting rooms and accessible facilities for the physically disabled and neurodiverse.

“It is wonderful to see that vision now real, creating new opportunities for the church and other organisations to help the most vulnerable in society, in Truro and beyond, so they can live life in all its fullness.”

Project leader Tony Cruddas thanked Rev Jeremy Putnam for his original vision, contractors and subcontractors “for giving us a lovely building”, and local residents and congregation members “for bearing with the disruption”.

He added: “It has been a long road. So many people contributed financially to this centre, not just big organisations but congregation members and community groups have generously given what they can afford, and we are very grateful to them all.”

Jayne Kirkham MP recalled how she first encountered the Lifehouse Project in 2019. “It was clear very quickly these plans were profound and special,” she said. “Something like this makes my job easier, because I am able to refer people to it.”

Ward councillor Rob Nolan described the centre as “the acceptable face of development” and praised staff and volunteers for bringing it to fruition.

City mayor Cllr Chris Wells brandished a commemorative mug from 1980, released to mark the birth of the original church, adding: “Here we are, standing in it. It’s great to celebrate the next chapter in its history.”