On Thursday 14 January Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, officially opened the newly refurbished Hafod Deg Resource Centre on Rhymney High Street.

The facility has been transformed into a fully functioning multi agency facility, providing a range of support services to meet the needs of the community in Rhymney, facilitated by Communities First.  Advice and help available from Hafod Deg Resource Centre includes services from Citizen’s Advice Bureau, training and employment support provided by Communities First, LIFT, Communities for Work and the Job Centre, as well as community food growing projects, nutrition and dietary advice.

Refurbishment of the building was made possible utilising part of Caerphilly County Borough Council’s £1 million grant from Welsh Government’s Vibrant and Viable Places Tackling Poverty Fund.  Caerphilly County Borough Council is using this additional money to help facilitate a focussed, concentrated and integrated regeneration programme in the north of Rhymney.

As well as being used to provide this community facility, the additional funding from Welsh Government is also being used to enhance a £4.2 million investment programme the council is currently delivering on the nearby Rowan Place estate.  This investment is being used to carry out extensive internal and external improvements to homes, along with community engagement in wider environmental improvements to the area.

The Safer Caerphilly Partnership and the Gwent Substance Misuse Area Planning Board have also developed a multi-agency substance misuse base within Hafod Deg to serve needs within the north of the county borough, allowing residents to access services in a convenient location. The base has been supported by the Welsh Government Substance Misuse Capital Fund.

Lesley Griffiths said:

“Our flagship Vibrant and Viable Places programme is at the very heart of our work to tackle poverty, increase the supply and quality of housing, improve people’s health and well being, and help people into employment.

I am delighted to officially open Hafod Deg Resource Centre which will provide the local community with a wide range of important services all under one roof, from debt and job advice, to dietary information. Alongside the significant improvements to Rowan Place, this investment is set to transform Rhymney and have a huge impact on residents’ lives.”

Cllr Ken James, the council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Sustainable Development, added:

“The additional funding from Welsh Government is being used by the council to maximise the £4.2 million investment being made in Rowan Place; this means the delivery of a regeneration programme where local people will benefit from targeted support alongside physical improvements to their homes and the wider area.

It’s fantastic to see the improvements that have been made to the Hafod Deg facility; residents in Rhymney can now access a number of key services locally, in one central location and in a building that’s fit for purpose.”