A campaign to build a focal point for a small community has finally come of age... 21 years after it was begun.

Residents in Bailiff Bridge near Brighouse are at last celebrating after work on the centre was started.

The Bailiff Bridge Community Centre will provide the area with a library and multi-use village facility.

The new facility will be based on the site previously occupied by the area's famous Victoria Mill structure, on Victoria Road, near to the village's Co-operative buildings.

The centre is being built with the help of developers Barratt Leeds and is part of a project to build 131 houses in the area.

The company teamed up with the Bailiff Bridge Community Association to end more than two decades of crusading for a venue for the centre.

Malcolm Silkstone, chairman and founder of the Bailiff Bridge Community Association said: "This is a memorable day for Bailiff Bridge.

"We have been campaigning for this community centre for 21 years and this is a dream come true.

"We would like to thank Barratt for their hard work and help, which has been instrumental in turning a dream into a reality."

Work has begun on the building's shell and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

A sod-cutting ceremony involving local children plus members of the community association and Barratt officials, took place to mark the start of work on site took place.

Representatives from Calderdale Metropolitan District Council were also present.

The centre's new library will replace the town's previous one on Devon Way. Plans to relocate the library received overwhelming support when they were announced in 2004, with 75 per cent of local residents backing the idea.

Simon Horne, Barratt's project director, said: "Residents of Bailiff Bridge are passionate about having a focal point for their area, one which can provide multiple benefits for all ages.

"As a firm which seeks to positively impact the areas in which it operates, this centre is aligned with our scheme on Victoria Road and will benefit much of the surrounding community for years to come."