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People facing financial difficulties in Haverhill can be helped more effectively thanks to a new free drop-in centre opened in the town this morning (Tuesday).

REACH, a community projects group which has grown out of the River Of Life community church, has created a resource centre in the former Salvation Army cafe in the Clements estate parade of shops.

The centre was opened this morning by Cllr Anne Gower, chairman of Haverhill Partnership, which has donated a major part of the funding to get the project up and running.

It will house all REACH's community projects under one roof - Christians Against Poverty (CAP) and Haverhill food bank and furniture bank.

It will be open three hours a day, on Mondy and Thursday afternoons and Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, providing a drop-in facility, with tea, coffee and biscuits, for free debt advice and money management through CAP; a signposting service for general support, a landline telephone point with free calls to 0845 agencies, and Internet access for people looking for work.

It will also provide a new base for the food bank, run with the support of Haverhill Churches Together, both for donations and collections.

Project manager Henry Wilson said the centre, which he hoped would become known simply as 'the Reach Centre', would enable them to help people in a more effective way.

"It is just the beginning today," he said, "but it is our intention to continue developing other community support and projects aimed at reducing the effects of poverty and the promotion of well-being, with other agencies connected with Haverhill."

He said they wanted to help people as thoroughly as possible. "We don't expect to be rushed off our feet to begin with," he said, "but if we can only help two people in a day or four in a week we don't mind."

The £22,000 budget has come mostly from Haverhill Partnership (£15,000), with St Edmundsbury donating the rent of the premises for three years (£3,750) and Haverhill Town Council £1,000.

The rest has been topped up by the River of Life but there is still £2,000 to raise, and fund raising will be required on an ongoing basis for future years.

In opening the centre, Cllr Gower paid tribute to the hard work,dedication and enthusiasm of team who had put the project together.

It was the right time, the right place and the right offer, she said.

The right time because there had been great changes in Haverhill recently, but there had also been job losses and uncertainty over finances.

The right place because the Clements estate had a strong sense of community for which the former Salvation Army cafe had become a focus and it was hoped the new resource centre would be the same.

The right offer because REACH was providing a service to the community and the town as a whole.

REACH, which stands for Restore, Encourage, Active involvement in the Community bringing Hope, was launched in January this year by Richard Howitt MEP. Its aim,s are the relief of poverty, community cohesion and engagement, and family well-being.