CHARITY Vita Nova celebrated moving back into the Boscombe area on Saturday, and into a brand new office and theatre.

The group work with recovering addicts offering support and rehabilitation through the arts, but they also aim to establish a new artistic hub in the community and show off their works.

As well as more office space compared with their previous home in Springbourne’s Bourne Spring Centre, their new building in Roumelia Lane has been renovated downstairs to create a small community theatre.

It was officially launched at the weekend with a performance of play The Fridge, attended by Bournemouth mayor Rod Cooper, and with a series of other arts exhibitions and projects dubbed the Boscombe Fringe Festival.

Artistic coordinator Gemma Alldred said: “It is fantastic to be back in the heart of Boscombe and among the community we work with.

“The whole community has come together to help us get the place ready for today, we have had volunteers painting and decorating, and we have had a lot of help from treatment centres.”

The theatre, once a garish orange and yellow, was originally a garage used to repair fruit machines. Now it has been transformed into a small, adaptable performance space which can seat 45 people.

“We want to have the shutters open so people can walk in off the street and see a play, or join in a project,” added Ms Alldred.

“That’s why we have organised the Fringe Festival this weekend. It has been done on a very low budget.

“We want to get people interested so we can go bigger and better with it next year.”