Community / New Eric Gray centre gets formal launch
THE NEW Eric Gray Resource Centre was formally launched this morning (22 June) with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Eric Gray@Seafield, which has been open for a number of months, is home for specialist support for adults with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders and complex needs.
The £6 million Shetland Islands Council facility at Seafield in Lerwick was built by DITT and designed by Richard Gibson Architects.
A crowd of around 100 service users, family members, staff and invited guests turned out on Saturday morning to see the building formally launched.
The building will also be open to the public on Saturday 29 June from 2pm-4pm for anyone who wishes to look around the building.
The new facility replaces the old Eric Gray Resource Centre a stone’s throw away on Kantersted Road.
Construction began on the new building in August 2016 and it was completed at the end of 2018, before staff and service users moved into the new premises in January.
Four adults who use the service – Kaylee Ann Best, Martin Henderson, Shona Mair and Craig Tilston – formally opened the centre at a ribbon cutting ceremony, while a fifth user representative – Andy Anderson – cut the celebration cake.
Councillor Cecil Smith, who spoke at the ceremony, said: “This modern, user-friendly building offers many more opportunities to support people who use this service, for them achieve their potential.
“After many years of planning, the opening today is a cause for celebration and I hope that many people will benefit from this new centre for many years to come.”
The architect behind the project was Nick Brett from Richard Gibson Architects, and Mott MacDonald provided structural and building engineering services.
Staff from the council’s assets, commissioning and procurement service provided project management.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -
- Remove non-local ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
