COMMUNITY groups in the Leys will be throwing open their doors for the first time this May.

The Oxford estate’s inaugural open day will celebrate the work of more than 20 organisations and allow residents to see exactly what is available to them.

Groups based at the Barn, the Clockhouse, the Dovecote and Kingfisher Green will all be taking part.

Organiser Ines Kretzschmar, from the Leys Housing Consortium, which owns all the buildings, said: “We recently did a survey on the estate which showed a lot of people knew about these buildings, but a surprising number of people didn’t know what was inside.

“So we will open up the buildings so people can come and look at what is inside, but also to allow these fantastic groups to promote their work.”

The Dovecote provides activities and help for children and their families.

Last year the organisation launched a canal boat, Biddy’s Dream, for children from the estate to enjoy, and started a new project for grandparent carers.

Weekly zumba and dance classes take place at the Barn, while Kingfisher Green houses the free community newspaper Leys News.

Ms Kretzschmar said: “We have worked out that all the hours volunteers put in at these groups was worth over £100,000 last year.

“And the four major groups using the buildings brought in more than £280,000, so that is what these groups are bringing to the Leys community.

“That should be celebrated.”

It is hoped the day will include a treasure hunt between the buildings, performances, information stalls and activities throughout the afternoon.

Sally Meachim, from the Clockhouse project which caters for over-50s on the estate, said: “We hope to be very much involved on the day. We’ve had open days in the past on our own, which have gone really well.

“We found those events were a good way to let people know about all the different things that are going on in the Leys, and it can be an important way for our groups to raise some funds.

“It’s a good idea because there are a lot of groups all based in the same places, so people can come along and find out information about them all.”

The Leys Housing Consortium, made up of Catalyst Housing, OCHA and A2Dominion Housing, runs each of the community buildings.

The open day will run from noon until 4pm on Saturday, May 19.