THERE could be a bright future for Okehampton?s popular Ockment Centre. The centre is hoping Devon County Council?s decision last week to set aside thousands of pounds of additional match funding for the centre is followed by success in netting European funding. The centre which hosts a wide range of community and voluntary sector groups is looking to extend its services in areas that will increase its revenue. County councillors last week agreed to make a grant of £35,000 to the centre, subject to a successful application for Objective 2 funding. The centre wants to transform the service on offer through the provision of a new crèche enabling a further 24 childcare places ? releasing two rooms which could be rented out for meetings, thus providing extra revenue. It also wants to refurbish and extend the current kitchen to enable it to establish a larger scale catering business for both in-house and outside catering and to refurbish a larger hall which could be let for conferences and social functions. The centre will continue to host community and voluntary groups and serve as a meeting place and ?drop in? centre, particularly for those seeking advice, training and support services. The aim of the expansion project is to underpin the economic sustainability of the centre while meeting local people?s needs identified through the Okehampton Community Plan. The centre is currently used by around 30,000 people a year for a wide variety of uses. It is one of nine projects in Devon which has been selected by county councillors to benefit from the council?s EU match funding reserve of more than £800,000. Members of the council?s executive agreed at a meeting last week to support the schemes. It is now a question of waiting to hear if Objective 2 funding has been gained ? it should be determined early next year. County Cllr Christine Marsh welcomed the news of the council?s backing for the centre: ?I am so pleased. It is a centre which is used constantly and they get bookings from out of the county as well because they have got a good reputation.? The EU match funding reserve was set up five years ago and has so far given more than £2-million to 19 projects which successfully applied for funding help. The aim of the fund is to contribute substantially to more sustainable economic well-being in the areas of greatest need in Devon. Leader of Devon County Council Brian Greenslade said: ?We have signalled quite clearly that economic regeneration is a key focus area for this council and this decision underlines that.? Executive member for economic regeneration, strategic planning and regional affairs, Cllr Humphrey Temperley said: ?By supporting these excellent projects, we are getting more European money spent here to help people in Devon.?
