FROM collapse just six months ago, volunteers at a once troubled city community centre say it is now in the best position its been in years.

Thanks to the work of locals who have given up their free time to run the Pill Millennium Centre, the venue is now covering its own costs.

But the centre is still reliant on volunteers, with no paid staff – and it is on the look out for grant aid.

On Saturday the Pill Mill held an open day raising awareness of the centre with families with live music, a bouncy castle and other attractions.

Tracey Holyoake, chairwoman and secretary of the Pill Millennium Centre Trust which runs the centre, said the trust is making grant bids to the lottery and other bodies.

She said the community centre had raised £20,000 since the new trust took the centre over, with help from local businesses such as L&P Plastics and Lawrence Bailey Motors.

Ms Holyoake said much of what was raised went to pay off the centre's £35,000 debts, which are now cleared.

The centre brings in income from groups that use its facilities, including English classes, Communities First, Jobs Growth Wales and others.

Mrs Holyoake said: "It's doing really well. We're in the best position we have been in for years."

Ron Jones, city councillor for Pill and also on the board of the trust, said the centre is surviving without subsidy, and said the centre is now covering its own costs.

He said future fundraising would be aimed at developing the centre.

"We're just about covering ourselves. In future we need more money to develop the centre further," he said.

He praised volunteers like Mrs Holyoake, and said she had been "the back bone of the place".

Back in January the Pill Mill centre closed after a cash crisis left it without funds to operate.

But the community rallied together and after a new Pill Millennium Trust was formed to take over the centre volunteers – with an initial fundraising drive helping to pay the bills.

Civil servant Morad Hussain, 30, of Pill, is one of the volunteers and board members that helps keep the centre going.

"The centre is important to me as I have grown up in Pill and used it from day one."

"We're trying to do as much as we can to get all communities involved," he said.