KINGDON House, the Pym Street building which hosts around 20 of Tavistock's leisure activities, is to re-open in late March or early April after a complete facelift.

Office manager Carol Stones said the work, being carried out by Greening and Son of Tavistock, was going well and on schedule.

'There has been very little disruption to our clients and it is going to look fantastic,' she said.

The centre has had a £17,000 grant from the Devon and West Somerset Key Fund, derived from the European Union's Objective 5b fund. That represents 90% of the cost, the remainder of £1,889 being provided by the Kingdon House Community Association, which owns the building.

The users who will benefit include a wide range of organisations, such as the Council for Voluntary Service, the art, ballet and bridge groups, the Citizens' Advice Bureau, the Pre-school Learning Alliance and the West Devon Environmental Network.

The place is being redecorated outside and in, keeping its character as far as possible because it is a listed building.