Building work on a new church and community centre near Sainsbury's next to the roundabout on Exeter Road is almost complete - and is hoped to be ready for use by Christmas.

The 'Hope Centre' will feature a 330-seat auditorium, public café, and function room, and will be the primary venue for Dawlish Christian Fellowship (DCF), which is set to be replanted as Hope Church.

DCF wants the building to be not 'just a place to meet on a Sunday', but also for the Hope Centre and Hope Café to be 'spaces for the wider community to gather, share life together and make new friends throughout the week'.

It comes after DCF 'felt God had called them to build' and sold their former premises in Old Town Street in 2017. In the meantime, the group has met for Sunday services at St. Agatha's RC Church, and more recently in Dawlish College. During the pandemic, they met online with weekly services broadcast on their website and on YouTube.

Church Leader at Dawlish Christian Fellowship Mark Jones said: "We have called it the Hope Centre simply because we believe that many local people need to find real hope. For us, that means a genuine passion to show God's love and hospitality to those around us.

"This new centre offers Dawlish a contemporary venue where the local church and wider community can share life and work together for the common good.

"What's more, we have reached this stage of the build without needing a penny of public money, all proceeds coming from the sale of our former premises, grants from Christian trusts and gifts from church members."

The construction is being project-managed by local builder and church member John German, who said: "It's been an absolute privilege to be involved in this incredible project.

"The exterior of the building is now finished, with the landscaping of the grounds to follow soon. Inside, the plumbing and electrics are well on their way, with some plastering now also complete.

"It is our hope that the building will be usable by the end of the year, although it may be next spring before all rooms are fully equipped and in regular use."

For more information, click here to go to Dawlish Christian Fellowship's website.

Hope Church's new website is also due to be launched soon.

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