A NEW community hub for Droitwich will open in 2021 after organisations rallied round to support the key project.

Work on the The Cabin has finished and the plan is for it to open in the spring.

The flexible building will be used to host adult education programmes, community and family information meetings, as well as meetings and events staged by the police, social care, special needs groups, the health service and other local organisations.

The opportunity to proceed with the construction of The Cabin was secured when a joint bid by Droitwich Spa Town Council, Droitwich Means Business and Droitwich Spa High School for a share of the £3 million Wychavon Community Legacy Grant scheme, resulted in £120,000 in grant funding for the project.

But the grant was on condition that the community rallied round to raise more funding.

Matt Nicol, chairman of Droitwich Means Business and a former pupil of Droitwich Spa High School, said it had been a joint community effort to get it this far.

Money was raised and donated by a range of local organisations including King George V CIC Sports Association, which gave £5,000, Mr Nicol’s estate agency Nicol & Co that donated £3,000 and fundraising by Droitwich High School brought in a further £7,500.

With more than £15,000 raised locally, Droitwich Town Council also provided a construction costs contingency fund representing 10 per cent of the build costs, to guarantee the project could go ahead.

Mr Nicol said: “The initial suggestion was for a shed, but we all agreed ‘The Cabin’ sounded better.

"It could never have been completed without everyone pulling together in what has been an incredibly challenging year with the pandemic to contend with as well.”

READ MORE: Droitwich rallies round to support key community project under construction

The facility, now completed, will be managed by a committee of six including two representatives from the school and council.

Droitwich Means Business is a local business group co-founded by Mr Nicol made up of a number of key business owners, local employers and business leaders formed with the purpose of putting Droitwich back on the map and creating a connected community.

Mr Nicol’s role in promoting the project has been recognised by his former school, Droitwich Spa High School, where he has been invited to be a member of the school's Academy Trust.

Mr Nicol added he was "deeply touched" by the gesture.