Work is well under way to create a city centre base for Chester’s charitable sector under one roof.

The Blue Coat School in Northgate Street is being transformed into ‘The Bluecoat – the Centre for Charities and Voluntary Organisations’.

Chester Municipal Charities already owned the canal-side wing of the building and its purchase of the remainder from the Blue Coat Foundation will create 9,000 sq ft of space available for rent by the voluntary sector.

Ex-city MP Christine Russell, a trustee of the Municipal Charities, has long dreamt of setting up a one-stop shop so vulnerable people are not ‘moved from pillar to post’ on needing support.

She said: “A number of valued advice and support agencies like the Citizens Advice Bureaux and Chester Community Action are currently housed in cramped offices in Folliott House, a once grand 18th century town house but where repairs and maintenance are long overdue.”

“The new Bluecoat will not only provide a one-stop shop for advice services in the city, it will also provide a training suite and a meeting room for hire by organisations that are not based in the building.”

She added: “The restoration of the Bluecoat has posed many challenges as well as a hefty bill for Chester Municipal Charities. The priority of Cheshire West and Chester’s Access Officer has been to ensure that all parts of the building are fully accessible and comply with the Equality Act, whereas the retention of the historic and architectural character of the listed building has been the principal concern of the Conservation Officer.

The Grade II* listed Bluecoat in Upper Northgate Street dates from 1717 when a charity school for boys from poor families was built on the site of St John’s, a medieval hospital.