THE trustees of Helston Development Trust, the organisation behind the creation of the town's Flora Centre, in Wendron Street, have decided to call it a day almost exactly 7 years after their first meeting.

The trust was formed following a public meeting in July 1998 which was organised by the then Community Development Officer for Helston and the Lizard, Cath Horton, in order to identify suitable project ideas for entry in the 1998 BT Better Towns Competition. The Flora Centre Project was then born with a plan to build a new cinema and community facility for the town, and the development trust fought off tough competition from all the towns in Cornwall and went all the way to the House of Commons to scoop the £80,000 first prize.

The remainder of the £250,000 total cost of the project was then secured from six other funders, including the European Regional Development Fund and the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Centre was completed and opened to the public in October 2000. The trust experienced mixed fortunes in the years that followed, but secured a permanent cinema for the town when they joined forces with Merlin Cinemas of Penzance in March 2002. The facility has since gone from strength to strength and Merlin Cinemas took over the lease of the whole facility in February 2004 which has led to significant further investment in the building and the creation of a much needed second screen.

With the future of the centre in safe hands, the trustees of Helston Development Trust now feel that their work is complete. They have decided to dissolve the organisation and hand over the remaining funds - a total of £1,573 - to the Helston and District Community Association, in order that they can continue their work for the benefit of the local community.

A cheque presentation was made by Tess Tucker, trustee of HDT, to Danny Keay, chairman of the Community Association at the Flora Centre on Tuesday and a commemorative plaque will be unveiled in the foyer giving recognition to the work of HDT and recording the generosity of the seven funders of the project.