VITAL services in Alcester have been saved thanks to the opening of a 'cultural hub' at Globe House.

An official launch was held on Wednesday, April 13 to celebrate the union of the new library, Alcester’s Roman Museum, town council and other town assets.

County council bosses voted to allow the building to become 'cultural hub' last year and agreed to take on a 99 year lease for Globe House, granted by Stratford District Council, using proceeds from the sale of Alcester’s former library building to meet the cost of the transformation.

Warwickshire County Councillor and Alcester Town Councillor Mike Gittus he was "delighted" with the launch.

"This is the culmination of years of work and negotiations and I am delighted we have ensured a sustainable future for face to face services in Alcester," he said.

"By bringing everyone together under one roof and working more innovatively, we can provide savings, security and a wider range of services now and in the future."

Leader of Warwickshire County Council Izzi Seccombe said: "This wonderful facility is at the heart of the community for everyone."

Alcester Mayor Clive Neal-Sturgess said: "This has been great for Alcester residents, bringing together the library, museum and the town council so that we can provide an integrated service to the community through partnership working."

Laurence Thatcher, chairman of Alcester Heritage Trust which runs the museum, added: "This is a tremendous opportunity for the future."

At the launch, the Alcester community met a Roman soldier, a humanoid robot called NAO, used by the county council’s ICT Development Service in schools, and toured the new library and town council offices.

A poem was written for the event by Warwickshire’s Young Poet Laureate Harry Jenkins.

A range of library activities took place on the day, including Rhyme Time for pre-school children, an e-book surgery to help people download library books to their mobile devices, board games and a silver surfers session for older people wanting to get online and improve their computer skills.

The building work for Globe House was recently completed by Ashe construction for Warwickshire County Council.