Good news for a community that has rightly felt starved of amenities for years, and where the closure of the only supermarket caused an uproar. On top of that, residents had to put up with a centre where most of the shops were boarded up and covered in graffiti.

It was a place of which the people of Orton were rightly ashamed, and scepticism about on-off plans to re-develop it was rife.

Now, however, there should be something to celebrate for the Christmas season with new shops, re-fitted flats and a completely re-vamped centre bringing some heart back into the community as well as vital facilities.

The promise of better security to keep it spick and span in future will also be welcomed.

Caring doctor is an inspiration
WHAT a remarkable man Dr Koneru Prasad is. The big-hearted GP from Westwood is behind an organisation devoted to helping provide a better life for the neediest children in the poorest region of India.

Even Dr Prasad's family home in his native country has been turned into an orphanage, and today the first children to benefit from his charity are doing well at school and university.

Hopefully, they will be able to help the next generation improve their lives through better education and health care. Commendably, Dr Prasad has many more ambitious plans to continue his good work.