A charity’s dingy drop-in centre has been given a £22,000 make-over in order to get rid of stubborn mould which kept returning despite efforts to keep it at bay.

Centre 33 in Spicer Street, St Albans, which provides a place for homeless and socially deprived people to go in order to keep warm and enjoy a hot meal, re-opened its doors to the public following a major refurbishment.

The five-week revamp included the installation of ventilation equipment to deal with the humidity in the centre, rooms were redecorated and new flooring was laid.

The Mayor of St Albans, Cllr Frances Leonard, formally opened the refurbished building and met with supporters and volunteers of the charity before cutting a celebratory cake.

She said: “The voluntary sector provides such an enormous range of support to vulnerable people in St Albans; we would be so much poorer without it.

“I know the cost of the refurbishment was significant and I thank the individuals, churches and other organisations whose contributions have enabled this considerable improvement to take place.”

Chairman, Mark Arbeid added: “For too long the decor and surroundings have not matched the warm welcome that visitors receive from our volunteers; the centre was dingy, the flooring poor and no matter how hard we tried, the mould kept coming back.

“The refurbishment makes the centre a clean and bright environment for our visitors.”