THE OFFICIAL opening of a new council centre for vulnerable adults has been celebrated.

Officers and members of Flintshire Council, along with representatives from their partner organisations and local politicians, were present at Hwb Cyfle to mark the special occasion of the newly built Day and Work Opportunities Centre in Queensferry.

The new centre provides a single-storey adult day care centre specialising in community daytime facilities and social care services for vulnerable adults with varying degrees of learning disabilities.

The services at the centre are operated by Hft, a charity which supports adults with learning disabilities.

Hft is the preferred partner of the council to run these services.

The event included an interactive demonstration of services available and a tour of the building as well as a ceremony where a time capsule was buried in the sensory garden.

Flintshire has led the way with all key partners in developing this centre which aims to better integrate health, social care and the third sector, to help empower people with learning disabilities to access more opportunities in their local community. The facility, and the service, are cutting edge in Wales, the council said.

Flintshire Council’s chief executive, Colin Everett, said: “The council recognises the importance of essential services for people with a learning disability.

"We have allocated £4 million to building this facility, demonstrating our commitment to the future of this key service. The new building is state-of-the-art and has been enjoyed by service users, their family members and our staff since it opened its doors in June. We are so proud of our achievement and our clients love their new base. ”

Hft’s divisional director, Andrew Horner, said: “Since partnering with Flintshire County Council over 18 months ago, our goal has been to combine our expertise to support people with learning disabilities to live the best life possible.

"During that time we have supported 12 people to gain employment locally and introduced a diverse range of meaningful activities to support people to engage within the local community.

“The new building demonstrates Flintshire County Council’s commitment to supporting us in the delivery of positive outcomes for the people we support and will help us to further enhance services moving forward as we continue to support people locally to take control of their lives and live with more independence and choice.”