It’s been 10 years coming but a church body’s new purpose-built community centre is finally here.

The St Faith’s Centre on the corner of Chatham Road and Moncktons Lane in Ringlestone near Maidstone will open this Sunday at 10am.

The building will play a dual role: acting as a community hub for the residents of Springfield and Maidstone and as a place of worship for the congregation of the former St Faith’s Church in Maidstone.

The Ringlestone Community Centre Development Group (RCCDG) was set up as a charity to establish the centre as long ago as 2013.

It sold the historic St Faith’s Church, built in 1872, near Maidstone East Railway Station to the Lighthouse church in 2021.

The new centre is on the site of the former St Faith’s Church Hall which was demolished in October 2021. The church hall had been built in 1935 and had deteriorated to a point beyond economic repair.

Hopefully, the new centre will last longer, as the priest-in-charge, the Rev Canon Arthur Houston, placed prayers in the foundations as it was being built.

Construction of the new centre has taken slightly longer than the year originally planned but the building will hold its first service on Sunday with Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin leading the worship.

The building will then be open for visitors to look round.

The St Faith’s Centre was constructed by Maidstone-based HB Homes and with fit-out and legal fees cost £1.6 million, which was financed to a large part by Section 106 monies from developers, by grants and by fundraising by the congregation.

The new centre will allow the resumption of activities by the Ringletots baby and toddler group, which has been homeless for a couple of months.

There are also pilates, fitness and exercise groups looking to book space at the new centre which includes a main hall to accommodate 110 people, a smaller hall, meeting rooms, a cafe and garden area.

There is parking for 15 cars, with one electric charging point. The building is powered by roof-top solar panels.

More details about the centre are available here.

Nigel Downes is a member of the parochial church council. He said: “We are super excited to be finally moving in after all this time.

“We are looking forward to sharing our facilities with the residents. All are welcome.”