THE Pavilion in the Park is celebrating its first anniversary following a busy first year open to the public.

The pavilion in Simmons Park, situated adjacent to the college's all weather pitches, provides facilities for the whole community, acting as a recreational hub for sport, arts, music, dance, disabled groups, training and education courses, drama and events and conferences. The building is also home to OCRA, which delivers and helps develop activity and health initiatives across West Devon.

Sue Doidge of OCRA was the manager of the building for the first nine months it was officially open.

She said: 'The year has gone by quickly, but it is very exciting to have such a wonderful building and the vision that is building for it. We never thought about many of the possibilities that are opening up and we now realise what is possible.

'This is a community building and we want people to engage with it, be they people dropping in for a meal during the week or the sports clubs who are already engaging well with the building. We want everyone to use it as much as possible.'

That sentiment was echoed by the centre's current manager Dave Wills.

He said: 'We really want to promote what we are doing now.

'We are open Wednesday to Sunday for people to drop in, have a drink or food and see what things are going on here, from the sports clubs to the arts and music stuff.

'We want to do monthly quiz and bingo nights to fill up some of our nights. We just want to build things up, offer some different events and keep things going.'

The pavilion is the crown jewel in a vast project launched nine years ago, responding to local need by attempting to improve sports facilities in Okehampton and for the wider West Devon community.

The project has delivered the multisport all weather pitches at Okehampton College for hockey, football, netball and rugby, plus greatly improved facilities for cricket, tennis, gymnastics, skating, trampolining, squash and grass pitch sports.

The catalyst for the project was £600,000 of investment from Devon County Council through its Investing in Devon project back in 2008.

The bid was backed by county councillors Christine Marsh and James McInnes and the grant also supported the all weather pitch which opened in November 2009.

The site now offers access to over 35 different sports. When fully completed, the pavilion will have cost £720,000.

The next big event at the pavilion is a quiz this weekend, on Saturday, January 24.

The quiz is being held to raise money for the soundproofing of the building, to ensure better acoustics on both floors of the pavilion.

Entry costs £20 for a team of four to include a bowl of chilli, with the winning team getting their money back.

The quiz starts at 7.30pm. To enter, turn up on the night or call 01837 318010.

To find out more about the pavilion, call OCRA on 01837 54546, visit http://www.pavilioninthepark.co.uk">www.pavilioninthepark.co.uk or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected]