The new Aldershot Centre for Health opened to patients for the first time on Monday.

Aldershot MP Gerald Howarth was on hand to greet the first patient to arrive at the Hospital Hill site. 

Mr Ray from Farnborough Road, Aldershot, was the smiling first patient.

Mr Howarth said: “It was good to see so many smiles on the faces of the doctors, practice nurses and receptionists as they arrived at their bright new place of work.”

“The opening of this superb facility marks a great day for Aldershot, providing us with probably the finest health centre and outpatient facility in the land.  Furthermore, the relocation of the town centre GP practices will pave the way for the Westgate redevelopment to go ahead.

“It has taken a great deal of hard work by some key people to reach this milestone, but now it is up and running we can take pride in it.  It is a further step on the road to restoring public pride in Aldershot, a process started earlier in the year when the town’s Football Club returned triumphantly to the Football League, and Aldershot was chosen as the training base for Team GB in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games.”