Christmas tree lights the way for New Health Centre in Meir 6 December 2010

A Christmas tree, paid for by Prime plc and Wates Construction, is lighting up the community of Meir from the site of the long-awaited health centre. The new £11 million health centre is currently being built on Weston Road.

A special lights switch on ceremony took place on Friday 3 December at Meir Community Education Centre, forming part of Meir’s annual community Christmas event.

The Christmas tree stands more than 25 feet tall from the construction site of the new state-of-the-art Meir Primary Care Centre, on the corner of the busy Weston Road and A50 roundabout.

Prime plc and Wates Construction, developers of the new health centre, are working in partnership with NHS Stoke-on-Trent and Local Improvement Finance Trust company Prima 200 to deliver the long-awaited scheme.

Prime’s development director Steve Sprackling turned on the Christmas tree lights alongside Rob Flello, MP for Stoke on Trent South, Councillor Mohammad Matloob Stoke-on-Trentís Deputy Lord Mayor, and Immi Ghandi – Prime’s medical director.

The turf was cut to officially mark the start of work on site for the new health centre last month by Rob Flello MP. Designed by One Creative Environments Ltd, the new Meir Primary Care Centre will greatly enhance the healthcare provision in Meir by bringing together six local GP practices and offer a wide range of healthcare services under one roof, including: district nursing, health visiting, school nursing, specialist nursing, paediatric and adult physiotherapy, a dental access centre, an on-site community pharmacy, contraception and sexual health services.

Also helping to switch on the lights was Janet Bellis Chair of Meir Event Board. The Board supports the new health centre and campaigned for a Christmas tree to help mark the site and illuminate Meir this Christmas.

Janet said: “I am overjoyed that the residents of Meir will benefit from a beautiful big Christmas tree located on the site of what will be our fantastic new health centre. We’re really looking forward to our annual community Christmas celebrations with lots to see and do for all the family at the Community Education Centre where we’ll look down the hill to the Christmas tree and officially switch on the Christmas tree lights. My thanks go to the developers of the health centre, its partners and the local council.”

The new centre is expected to be finished late autumn 2011.