People living on the Meads are just days away from receiving the keys for a new community centre which has been years in the making.

The Meads Community Trust, five estate residents who have given up their time to get the centre off the ground, are setting up a management committee to oversee its running.

Trustee and treasurer Graeme Lloyd, who has lived on the Meads for 11 years, said: “It’s really exciting times for us.

“We are expecting to be able to start hiring the hall out from November 2. That’s two to three weeks ahead of schedule.”

Building work by Kent-based BMR began at the end of May. The £470,000 centre, off Emerald Crescent, has a reception, a main hall with a serving hatch to a kitchen, a meeting room and toilets.

It was mostly paid for with money from developers as part of planning agreements, totalling about £350,000. Grants secured by the trust from organisations such as Kent County Council and other fundraising helped cover the total cost.

The centre has already been booked for everything from birthday parties to a sewing circle.

“The fantastic news about the hall is that other than one or two hours it’s already booked out every night of the week,” said Mr Lloyd.

“We’re overwhelmed with the demand. There’s definitely a need. We’ve got more than 1,700 dwellings but didn’t have a usable centre nearby.”

Centre users will include a slimming club, exercise and dance classes and a community choir and a wind orchestra.

A parent and toddler group, the Squirrel Lodge Nursery, is due to open next year.

Events planned in coming weeks include a quiz night on November 20 and an open day on November 21.

Mr Lloyd added: “We have been involved for about four years.

“There’s a core of people who really want to see this centre working. They recognise the benefits of it for the community and they have really got involved.”

To donate to equip the centre, text MCCT15 and an amount to 70070. For more on how to get involved and the latest on the centre, search for The Meads Community Trust on Facebook.