THE past few weeks are ones that have been packed with official openings.

Last week I was honoured to open the new Broomhill Gardens and Community Hub in Mearns Street, Greenock
The project was supported by the council and developed by Inverclyde Association for Mental Health and it has delivered an excellent new facility in our community.

It has also seen the transformation of two derelict brownfield sites.

The project is a key part of the wider regeneration of Broomhill and that is a community project without parallel and one that we all have a role to play in making a reality.

I would like to congratulate all of the people who got involved right from the beginning to make the Broomhill Gardens and Community Hub a reality.

What they have done will make a real and lasting contribution to the lives of thousands of people in the years to come.

A great facility is one thing, but a great facility that brings disused space back into use is something that the whole of Inverclyde should be proud of.

All too often historic buildings have been left to go to ruin in front of our eyes and efforts made to save them when it is too late.

Later this week I will be using my tried and tested curtain opening technique to open the recently refurbished Custom House building in Greenock.

It really is a fantastic facility and is being brought back into productive use, thanks to the work of the council and our regeneration agency Riverside Inverclyde.

There are international names and home-grown businesses in there developing and thriving in a building which has seen the comings and goings of Inverclyde since it was built in 1818.

This Grade-A listed building has been transformed into high quality office suites thanks to a £4m redevelopment.

It is in a stunning location and has been witness to the changing face of Greenock and the Clyde in its near 200 years.

Public services and agencies come in for a lot of criticism. Sometimes rightly and sometimes it is unjustified.

This is a week where we can celebrate the work being done to develop our area and to protect our heritage. Perhaps there will be people looking back in another 200 years celebrating what people in our community are doing right now.