A flagship community centre has been given a royal seal of approval to mark its first year of work.

The £2.7 million Thornbury Centre in Leeds Old Road was visited by Princess Alexandra yesterday for its official opening.

It marks the end of a decade of hard work at the centre which has seen it transformed from the old and derelict St Margaret's Church into a multi-cultural centre being copied in Leeds, Southampton and London.

The Vicar of Thornbury, the Reverend Paul Hackwood, paid tribute to all the dedication put into the project.

He said: "There were many times when I thought this was not going to come off, but today's success shows just how good this centre is.

"It took a while for people to use it, but now we are getting about 500 people a week, from all cultures and backgrounds, through our doors."

The centre has a library, which had been missing from the community since about 1992, Home Start advisors, activities for children, a wide range of courses and a new St Margaret's Church.

Unveiling a plaque commemorating the day, Princess Alexandra said: "This really is a wonderful centre used by the whole community, and it has already become a flagship for similar projects around the country."

The Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David Smith, told the audience of about 100: "We are all very, very proud of this project, which started modestly as the then vicar, John Day, doodled some ideas on the back of an envelope.''

He added: "It is not a sectarian project. It genuinely is a community project and a beacon for the whole country."

Freda Jessop, 84, from Rushton Road, has been a member of St Maraget's Church since 1943 and came out of St Luke's hospital, where she is being treated for an infection, especially for the day. She said: "It was good before and used to be really busy, but this new centre is just wonderful.

"It's so nice that it is for everyone in Thornbury.''

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.