A NEW state-of-art community facility is set to create dozens of jobs and a boost for the local economy when it opens next month, bosses have said.

Cash from the North West Development Agency has been used to build a community resource centre, craft studios and a community cinema on the former Rainhall Road School site in Barnoldswick.

West Craven Together, which applied for the £1million used to build the new facilities, is hoping the venture will create dozens of office and craft-based jobs.

The centre will be officially opened July 13 by the Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the North West Development Agency, which provided the funding to finance the building.

Rainhall Road School, Barnoldswick, closed in 2001. In October 2006 workmen moved in to the former school to start work.

Craven councillor David Whipp said he was delighted four years of hard work had finally paid off.

He said: "We are so happy that the building work is practically completed. We and we will have an opening of the centre on July 13.

"The work looks really good and the building looks fantastic."

The facility will have three main uses.

The old hall has been turned in to a space for a community cinema and a performance and seminar areas.

The building will house a range of craft studios for local artists to rent and display their work with an exhibtion from the Lancashire Arts and Craft guild kicking off the opening festivities.

And the third aspect will we be an enterprise centre to help new businesses set up, which will in turn create jobs and boost the local economy.

Coun Whipp said: "We are hoping this will create dozens of jobs from this, mainly office and craft based ones.

"Also with the within the setting of Barnoldswick we hope to create more acitivites for people and attract visitors.

"We want this building to have both a community focus and an enterprise focus."

The partnership has applied for an entertainment, music and dancing licence and are hoping the cinema will open in Autum, run be run mainly by volunteers.