Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Residents of Ystradowen have officially bought their own community centre. Carmarthenshire County Council has sold the building to the residents’ committee at market value, after the neighbours rallied round to raise the necessary funds to take hold of the keys. The committee was formed last year, when people stepped forward to help run the village’s day club facility for older people. It has since gone from strength to strength, and with support from officers in various council departments, they have now secured funding to purchase the freehold and improve the facilities within the building. Chair, Rhys Maddock, said: “We have had an excellent response from the local community and as a committee we are keen to establish the centre and ensure that the community has an easy accessible venue for years to come.” Since launching in May, the older people’s day club has developed to involve many more activities than the council was previously able to provide. Members are able to enjoy a h...

A day club set up by the community for older people living in Ystradowen is growing bigger and better by the day. Residents living in the area rallied round to run the day club when it was offered to them by Carmarthenshire County Council. With the help of various departments within the council, the residents formed a small committee and enlisted volunteers, and now the club is standing firmly on its own two feet. Chair, Rhys Maddock, said: “We have had an excellent response from the local community and as a committee we are keen to establish the centre and ensure that the community has an easy accessible venue for years to come. We have also been very busy fundraising and to date the committee has applied for almost £300,000 of grants.” Since launching in May, the club has already developed to involve many more activities than the council was previously able to provide. In independent hands, it also means that eligibility criteria no longer needs to be applied, meaning many more peopl...

A small Carmarthenshire community has shown what it’s made of by creating a new group to take over the provision of day club services for older people. Over 90 residents from Ystradowen got involved when they heard that the county council was planning to withdraw day club services from the area as part of a wider review on day services. They met with staff from the council’s social care, regeneration and corporate property departments to come up with a supported plan which meant they could take control of the service. Since the meeting, the community has formed a 10-strong committee, brought together a group of volunteers and persuaded Quarter Bach Community Council to become the key holders of the building. They are now looking at bringing the centre entirely in to the ownership of the local community. It means that the service will continue as before, and now has the opportunity to expand and become more tailored in line with local need. Carmarthenshire County Council has supported t...