MORE than 150 people of all ages attended the official opening of the Clent Connect hub on Saturday.

The launch of the central meeting hub with cafe and shop was a landmark moment in the village’s history and stemmed from an idea born during the Covid pandemic.

A great number of people came out for the opening. Picture by Marcus Mingins 1123001MMR4 www.buyphotos247.com

The cutting of the ribbon was performed by Christine Brettle whose life has been ‘transformed’ by Clent Connect which has encouraged her to come to meet others,

The opening was hailed by Bromsgrove Town Crier Kevin Ward and the High Sheriff of Worcestershire Andrew Manning-Cox presented Clent Connect with an award on behalf of King Charles III.

The event was attended by district council leader Coun Karen May who is also the councillor for the area.

Volunteers Nick Maybee, Mia Charlton and Gloria Hall are ready for customers. Picture by Marcus Mingins 1123001MMR2 www.buyphotos247.com

As well as the cafe and shop, a larger pop-up cafe runs on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and other activities include knit and natter, IT support and friendly chats.

The director and one of the founding members of the newly-formed Clent Connect charity, Rosie Padmore, said: “Getting to this point of opening the doors of the Clent Connect Hub has certainly been a journey of challenges but these have been totally outweighed by joy, enrichment and hope as the community came together with enthusiastic support and encouragement.

“We would like to say a really big thank you to all volunteers and supporters – without you none of this would be happening and here’s to a new beginning for the community and the development of lots more ideas coming to life.”

The cake is cut to celebrate. Picture by Marcus Mingins 1123001MMR5 www.buyphotos247.com

A warm welcome

The hub’s introduction has been overwhelmingly welcomed by residents.

Andy Whallett said it was lovely to have something for the whole community.

“We have all ages here today and it’s absolutely fantastic to bring the village together and what an amazing thing to come out of Covid – a terrible time in all of our lives, but if this is the result of people pulling together afterwards, Clent is a fantastic place to be.”

Brian Robinson, Lin Roberts and Lucinda Henderson toast the opening. Picture by Marcus Mingins 1123001MMR3 www.buyphotos247.com

Nina Hatch added she was delighted the venture was continuing post-Covid.

“Having basic shopping facilities here is very handy and we can meet lots of people we know from the village and some people from the village we don’t know.”

And Shirley Jordan said: “They allow dogs in and you can go for a walk, bring the dog, have a cup of coffee, meet someone you haven’t met before – it’s just a marvellous thing for the community.”

The hub opens 9am to 5pm Monday and Friday, between 9am and 1pm on Wednesday and 9am to 2pm on Saturday.

Visit clentconnect.co.uk for more.