The Lord Mayor of Nottingham was be joined by local schoolchildren at a carnival celebration which marked the official opening of The Mary Potter Centre on Thursday Sept 4.

During the open day visitors took a tour of the centre, seeing the facilities and services available.

The £14 million joint service centre on Gregory Boulevard has GP surgeries, health clinics, Nottingham City Council social care and children’s services, the Acorn Resource Centre and, a Surestart Children's Centre, Nottingham City Homes Housing Office and the City Council's Neighbourhood Management team under one roof.

The move provides a one-stop shop to Council and health services in an easily accessible building. Construction of the centre, on the site of the Mary Potter Health Centre and the Acorn Day Centre, was started in March 2006.

First to move in were the doctors' surgeries and Nottingham Primary Care Trust health clinics in April 2007. Last November the Acorn Resource Centre. In June Nottingham City Council services, including the Neighbourhood Management team, Nottingham City Homes and a Surestart Children's Centre moved into the building alongside Primary Care Community Health Visitors, Midwives, School Nurses and rehabilitation services.

The new building has been designed to be airy, attractive and fully accessible to all the community and a splash of colour has been added by Nottingham City Arts and Nottingham Development Company-run arts project to produce local artwork to exhibit in and around the centre. The final phase of the centre will include a quiet room and café

Councillor Eunice Campbell, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio holder for Customer Services, said: "The Mary Potter Centre provided a state of the art base that brought together council and health services, making everything much more convenient for residents and increasing the efficiency and linked working of the different agencies.

"It's part of the wider programme to improve access to services for residents that includes the City Council’s Contact Centre, Clifton Cornerstone and the planned joint service centre for Bulwell."

Chief Executive of Nottingham City Primary Care Trust, Andrew Kenworthy, said: "We have a strong commitment to delivering real improvements in health services, health care and well-being for the people of Nottingham. The Mary Potter Centre enables us to provide local people with first class healthcare in a fantastic new facility, in the heart of Hyson Green."

The Mary Potter Centre is the second joint service centre in Nottingham to be built by Greater Nottingham LIFT Co (Local Improvement Finance Trust) on behalf of the City Council and Nottingham City PCT as part of a 25 year public private sector partnership agreement to improve local services. The City Council was awarded £11.3 million Public Finance Initiative (PFI) for its involvement in Clifton Cornerstone and The Mary Potter Centre by the Government

A third centre for Bulwell is at planning stage.