A MULTI-MILLION pound mental health centre named after Worcester legend "Woodbine Willy" has officially opened in the city.
The state-of-the-art centre, in City Walls Road, has been called Studdert Kennedy House, in memory of the writer, poet and respected vicar Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, known fondly as "Woodbine Willie".
From 1914 to 1922, he was vicar of what was then the city's poorest parish, St Paul's, and there are many tales of his spontaneous acts of generosity - inluding giving the coat off his own back to people in need.
The three-storey building will treat more than 300 patients every week - 85 per cent of the city's mental health sufferers, including people with "serious" conditions, such as schizophrenia.
Criticised
It will relieve pressure on Newtown Hospital, Ronkswood, which was criticised earlier this year by one Worcester couple, whose son is an in-patient, as cramped and run down.
The centre, a joint venture between Worcestershire County Council and the NHS, was opened on Friday.
The council's chairman Derek Prodger performed the opening ceremony in the presence of members of the Studdert Kennedy family.
Yesterday, health bosses opened the building's doors for a special event to celebrate World Mental Health Day.
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