THE legacy of a great politician and humanitarian was celebrated at Warrington's Peace Centre last week.

A refurbished lounge was dedicated and renamed in memory of former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Mo Mowlam in recognition of her remarkable contribution to the project.

Mo dug the first sod of earth on the site of the centre on one of her many visits to the town, which began in 1995 when she accompanied Colin and Wendy Parry to Bridge Street on the second anniversary of the bombings.

Founder of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Trust, Colin Parry, spoke of his many meetings with the effervescent Dr Mowlam in securing financing for the centre saying that she had left an exceptional footprint there.

Special guest at the renaming ceremony was Dr Mowlam's widower, Jon Norton who officially opened the lounge.

On his first visit to the Peace Centre, Mr Norton said he was incredibly impressed by the size of the undertaking his wife had played a major part in, saying: "Mo would be delighted with this as she was very much involved with the early thinking behind the centre and in raising money. I suppose the peace centre is Mo's legacy in a way.

"The centre was always very close to her heart since peace is all about lots of people and not just a few and this is very symbolic of that.

"The centre is a symbol of forgiveness that stands against the spirit of sectarian violence that is being broken down. It's important to be able to speak to people who have suffered and help with forgiveness."

"I'm very impressed with what I've seen of the centre, it helps children in an institution outside of school and impresses upon the next generation the need for conflict resolution without violence."

Colin Parry said: "In every respect, from securing finance, to arranging a meeting with the Prime Minister, to digging the first sod, Mo was behind it all."

The refurbished residential lounge has been decorated with a painting of Mo and a photograph of her 1995 visit to the town along with one of Jon's own works.