A new, state-of-the-art Salvation Army centre has breathed fresh life into the community of Wibsey.

The £750,000 purpose-built church centre in Holroyd Hill has become a focal point, providing community groups and individuals with a place to meet.

Major Paul McNally, 50, of the Wibsey Salvation Army corps, has worked for the Salvation Army in Bradford for six years. He said he was excited by the number of people using the building and had seen his congregation on a Sunday rise from around 30 to 50.

"When we were designing the building we wanted it to become a focus for the people in the area, somewhere community groups could congregate and people could come to meet others," he said.

"It is great to see the number of people who have come along to the building just to have a look around.

"Churches should be available to people not just on a Sunday but during the week as well. If people can cross our doorstep to come to Weight Watchers they might feel more relaxed about coming to church."

The centre, which took 11 months to build, now offers coffee mornings, Weight Watchers classes and karate and dance lessons. It is also the base for the Bradford South Live at Home Scheme, which recruits volunteers to spend time with isolated older people in their homes, and is a meeting place for local elderly people. It is a far cry from the last five years when the congregation shared space in St Matthew's Church hall, Bankfoot, and St John's Church, Great Horton.

The money for the new building was raised mostly by members of the Salvation Army, while the rest came from central funds and the sale of the Salvation Army's West Bowling and Great Horton churches.

"It is very exciting having new people joining existing activities and introducing new ones," said Major McNally.

"Allowing the building to be used by so many different groups is bringing more people to us and making them aware.

"I'm so glad to be a part of it."