Community facilities in North Wales benefit from ‘crucial’ additional funds to meet rising costs

Community facilities in North Wales are set to benefit from ‘crucial’ additional Welsh Government funding enabling them to complete refurbishment works.

The projects had struggled to stay within their original budgets due to rising costs of building supplies.

In total fifteen projects across Wales are receiving funding totalling £467,000 in this round of the Community Facilities Programme. This included £164,000 towards ten smaller projects, all receiving under £25,000 grants.

More than £303,000 will also go towards additional funding for five larger projects.

Small amounts of grant funding can provide a big change for community facilities.

The programme funds the purchase and improvement of facilities which provide opportunities for local people to improve their day to day lives.

Three of the projects are based in North Wales.

The smaller projects in North Wales include £9,800 at Prestatyn Men’s Shed, Denbighshire, £9,836 to install solar panels and insulate their conservatory; £17,800 at Brighter Futures in Rhyl to build an extension to the workshop and make energy saving improvement; and

The larger projects in North Wales include £50,000 towards improving sound insulation and renovating an outbuilding into a flexible space for music, dance and arts workshops at Tabernacl Bethesda in Gwynedd

Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt said: “This additional funding is crucial to allow these larger projects to be completed so they can benefit communities across Wales.

“Due to rising costs for materials they have seen their budgets squeezed as they neared completion. They wouldn’t have been able to carry out essential works like roof repairs, new windows and energy saving improvements if it wasn’t for our Community Facilities Programme.

“I hope everyone gets to enjoy these community facilities once they are finished and look forward to hearing about their progress.”

Stephen Johnson, sustainability co-ordinator at Brighter Futures in Rhyl, said the funding had made a massive difference to them.

“Thanks to this funding we have been able to extend the workshop and can get more people into it,” he said.

“We have been planning this for a long time, but now we are able to do it. It’s perfect timing as the numbers of people wanting to come are getting higher and higher.”

He added: “The energy saving improvements have also saved us so much money with our bills. People don’t want to stay in their houses, so they are able to come here and keep warm. We have started staying open six days a week now.”