CELEBRATIONS are in order for a Cowley creative arts centre after it reached two milestones this year.

The Ark T Centre, in Crowell Road, has been at the heart of the East Oxford community since 1997, providing arts and music projects for residents.

And this year it is marking 15 years since it started its Youth Music Project and 10 years since it opened its community cafe.

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Cait Sweeney, one of the centre’s resident artists, said: “It’s just a lovely place to be.

“It’s been great having been involved for a number of years and seeing how it’s evolved.

“I don’t think there’s anywhere else in Cowley quite like it, so it’s very essential.”

The centre was opened at John Bunyan Baptist Church in the autumn of 1997 by the then Bishop of Oxford, The Right Reverend Richard Harries.

It contains rehearsal space for theatre and dance performers and a concert room, as well as rooms for art exhibitions, classes and workshops. The centre includes a recording studio which has helped young people create and record their own songs.

Thousands of youngsters aged from 11 to 19 have been supported by the centre’s youth project since it opened in 1999.

Ms Sweeney, who has worked with the centre for the past three years, is involved with the youth project and with music sessions for over-55s.

She said: “They have a very involved approach and recognise that everyone is an individual.

“The people in the core of the centre really make an effort to get to know all the different people who use it. The Ark T is somewhere that gives the older and younger generations the opportunity to mix with one another. I think somewhere like The Ark T Centre does a lot to break down the boundaries between generations.”

The centre is also celebrating 10 years since its Broom Tree Cafe opened.

It opens weekdays from 10am to 2.30pm, offering visitors a variety of sweet treats, meals and refreshments, as well as live music on Tuesdays.

The cafe also provides training, including catering skills and food preparation, for volunteers and work placement students.

Ms Sweeney said: “I think the Ark T Centre is beginning to get its own identity.”

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