A POPULAR community centre in Yate is celebrating after receiving a brand new website free of charge from a volunteer web designer.

Ridgewood Community Centre is the home to nearly 50 groups that offer a wide range activities, classes and even a beautiful 'Cupcake Fashion Tea Room'.

It receives no regular funding from any governing bodies so when the website was hacked beyond repair nearly seven years ago, Anne-Marie Cook the Centre Manager and others were forced to create another one which did not fully suit the facilities purpose.

"It was a good website before the hack, but then a volunteer named Julie created another one and we had used that ever since," Anne-Marie said.

In late September of this year, they were handed an extraordinarily generous lifeline from a web designer.

David Pottrell, 29, has worked with many clients throughout the community to create websites that suit their functions.

His previous work includes the South Glos Show website, Sodbury and Yate Business Association and Hedgehog Recue.

He messaged Anne-Marie and the Ridgewood team and offered to create them a whole new website voluntarily.

"Me and my partner wanted to start the pottery class that we knew ran from the centre," David explained.

"When I looked online I had no idea where and when it was running at Ridgewood so I thought that I could maybe use my skills to help promote everything that happens here.

"I use the centre, I didn't want it to go anywhere so I thought that by helping them we could make people more aware about everything that goes on here."

David is a freelance designer at 'David Pottrell Web Design', but also works for an agency.

"To do the Ridgewood website it probably took between 30 to 40 hours of work but I just wanted to help," David continued.

"I still like to work with the smaller businesses and approach them delicately, luckily Anne-Marie liked my suggestions."

The centre manager then went on to thank David for his contribution.

"There is not many community orientated people anymore so we are so grateful for what David has done," she said.

"We just want to say a massive thank you to him and would recommend him to anyone that is looking for a web designer."

You can find the new website live at https://ridgewoodcommunitycentre.org.uk/.