Belly dancing, a church and many happy people

It became run down and many people forgot it was there.

Now thanks to a joint venture between the church and the Hangleton and Knoll Project, St Richard's in Egmont Road is a thriving church and community centre.

Manager Pat Weller, surveying the sparkling new atrium, said: "This has been a joint effort and we are really pleased.

"My memories go back many years. It was a dark old building with bad heating."

Trustee Roy Taylor showed with pride a mural round the top of one hall showing local people and scenes and painted by local people.

He said activities including everything from belly dancing to get-togethers for elderly people.

Organisers are proud that they have got youngsters off the streets and into the centre where they can take part in activities as diverse as new technology and table tennis.

Project director Barry Hulyer said: "When there are problems, and there are sometimes, we don't just throw up our hands in horror and kick them out.

"We try and work out what went wrong and start again."

St Richard's is one of the most visible manifestations of the project which started 17 years ago but which really got going in 1995.

That year, it gained a £1.6 million grant from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget for areas in need of a boost and this was matched by a further £1.2 million locally.

St Richard's, already partially renovated thanks partly to a Hove Borough Council grant, had the job completed and a much-needed extension was grafted on to the Hangleton Community Centre in Hangleton Park. But even more was achieved with the money.

The improvement noticed by most visitors is the scheme at the Grenadier shopping area which has just been completed.

Here traffic calming is slowing cars and lorries along the busy Hangleton Road, crossed by many pedestrians, and there has been attractive landscaping.

There has also been extensive traffic calming on the Knoll Estate, especially in Stapley Road which is used as a cut through to Old Shoreham Road.

More calming has taken place in Hangleton, notably outside Hove Park Lower School.

Meanwhile hundreds of trees have been planted in the streets while masses of flowers adorn the greens.

Both parks have been improved greatly and new street lighting has been installed in many areas. Eight community notice boards have been erected.

At the project's base in Hangleton Road, the Opportunities project for helping hundreds of people get jobs and advice has been so successful that it has spread to Kemp Town and Whitehawk.

Another success has been computer training, originally envisaged mainly for women but extended to help youngsters too.

A further project, called Audio Active, is helping many people enjoy all kinds of music. It is based at a studio in nearby Portslade.

Park Life was started in Knoll Recreation Ground to help youngsters who were hanging around looking bored. Twice a week, they can take part in activities such as graffiti art, basketball and soccer training.

Project manager Sarah Christie said: "The Single Regeneration Budget money has enabled us to grow quite quickly."

But that cash is running out and the project has been at pains to find other sources of income so its work can keep going.

It has successfully made an application to the National Lottery for funding, achieving almost £160,000 to cover a three-year-period. This will be particularly useful in allowing the valuable youth and job training projects to go on uninterrupted.

The success of the project has been based on the fact that many of the best ideas have come from people in the community.

Sarah Christie said: "At the end of the day it's the residents who have the say in what happens."

Mr Taylor said: "Sometimes meetings can be very long winded about the community centre, but people do feel they have a sense of ownership."

Some people were doubtful about the success of the plan to plant trees all over the estate. But he added: "If you as much as touch a tree, people will come out screaming."