THE future of Okehampton's main community hub looks as bright as ever after its team took over ownership of the building. The Ockment Centre's team of trustees has taken ownership of the building, becoming legal owners of the centre for the community. They had previously been leasing the centre from Devon County Council for £9,500 each year. The move has helped to secure the centre's foreseeable future, saving not only thousands of pounds in rent, but also freeing up other money that was being spent on building maintenance. The team running the centre were responsible for the full maintenance costs of the building during the lease period. To survive in the past, the centre has relied on substantial grants from Okehampton United Charity and other organisations to keep afloat. It is thought that the centre will now be very close to being self-sustainable. It was originally decided over a year ago that Devon County Council would hand over ownership of the centre to the trustees, and the deal has only just been clinched. The chair of trustees Judy Pride said that the completion of the deal was fantastic news for the town, and means that the centre is very close to being financially sustainable on its own. She said: 'It stops the centre being put at risk of being, potentially, new housing or turned into something else had the charity not been sustainable. 'This has been a culmination of at least ten years' work, working towards actually getting ownership of this building. Having ownership of the building isn't just about not paying rent. Now we actually own an asset, this charity can look to funding some of the improvements in very different ways. 'We have an asset we could potentially even borrow against once our income reaches the stage where we know we have enough in the pot to pay back perhaps a loan. 'It is a whole new world for us and we can't thank all those people who have been part of this journey enough. It's not just about the last year. It has taken us ten years to get to this point. 'Many trustees have come and gone in that time. They have all contributed their ideas and enthusiasm, which kept us going. Our staff, who have been here and come and gone — all of them have contributed to us getting to this point. 'It's not just good news for the charity but for the town. It means all this space — indoor and out — will be available for all those groups we have helped and encouraged.' Tony Leech is also on the centre's board of trustees. He was also delighted with the news, and thanked the centre's staff over the last 12 months for all their hard work. He said: 'We have been advertising this now as the focal community hub for Okehampton. We now have loads of different organisations in here. Some have come on the back of changes by Central Government like the addiction service Rise, and the Probation Service. Due to that, they are looking for hubs. We have hit it at the right time. 'For me, the building has been suffering for a long time. We have had a full repairing lease, which has been a really big drain on our resources. Now the property is ours, so we don't have to pay rent and we can use that money to bring the property up to a better standard. 'There are so many people who have lots of problems in life, and this is a neutral place to come. 'If you go into some of the offices of say West Devon or Devon County Council, it's very formal and certainly intimidating for some people. Here, it's much more informal, and the attitude we like to promote is, 'come on in'. We want to build on that in the future.' Future projects being considered for the centre include the installation of solar panels on its hall roof, using its leat to generate hydropower, and improving the indoor spaces. To find out more about the centre, or to find out about how you can get involved with the centre's burgeoning future, call 01837 53276 or drop into the centre on North Street.­