Partner Organisation - Blaenllechau Community Regeneration

'Shaping the future of our village'

The Bell Centre
5-8, Luton Street
Blaenllechau
Rhondda Cynon Taff
CF43 4PB

Tel: 01443/730749
Fax: 01443/730901

Email: Blaenllechau@AOL.com

Blaenllechau Community Regeneration is a community based regeneration organisation, serving the people of Blaenllechau and the surrounding area of Upper Rhondda Fach in the South Wales Valleys.

The organisation is charitable and aims to provide relief from poverty and disadvantage, to improve educational opportunities, to facilitate participation in community life and to alleviate social, environmental and economic deprivation.

In 1993, a group of villagers researched the history of Blaenllechau and in 1994 published a book - Green, Black and Back. During this period, Community Revival Strategy money became available and following a public meeting a bid was submitted to finance the building of a community centre. The application was successful and matched with European Funding and Blaenllechau Community Regeneration came into existence.

The Bell Centre (Blaenllechau Enterprise for Lifelong Learning) opened in 1996. It is a 3 storey, purpose built building, offering a wide range of facilities for the community. The centre hosts a variety of courses, social functions, a community café and a full-time nursery and crèche. There is a fully equipped computer suite, supported through University of Wales' Connecting Communities Cymru Project. The centre has helped create new business opportunities and jobs for residents of the area, provides quality child-care and learning opportunities for people who once believed they didn't have a future.

The Centre is also used for seminars, conferences, meetings and a variety of entertainment events. All rooms can provide the necessary equipment including staging, overhead projectors, screens etc. Various community groups and learning organisations use the Centre, including Social Services, Swansea University, University of Glamorgan, and Rhondda College.

Blaenllechau CR also owns a number of other properties in the surrounding area and is developing various projects to serve community need:

The Glyn Youth Drop-In Centre is situated in a refurbished shop in the middle of the village. The centre is staffed by Youth Workers, who support activities for young people across the surrounding areas. Approximately 2,500 young people aged between 5 and 25 years have benefited from this service.

The Glyn Fish Bar is owned by BCR and forms part of its separate trading arm Blaenllechau Community Enterprise. The Glyn Fish bar is situated in a refurbished shop in the village and is open 7 days a week, serving a traditional fish and chip shop menu.

The Sunnyside Café, based in the Bell Centre is open 6 days a week, serving reasonably priced meals and offering a social meeting place for local residents.

The Early Steps Day-Care Nursery caters for up to 20 children up to school age and is open 5 days a week from 7.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. The nursery is registered with Social Services and run by fully qualified staff.

Ffaldau 2000 is a community farm, situated at the edge of the village, offering training opportunities and projects focused on environmental improvements and a sustainable development approach to the growing of food. The farm is currently held in trust for BCR by the landowner.

The Mission Hall is an old Miners Welfare hall and BCR currently acts as managers of the property on behalf of the trustees. The hall is being converted into a multi-purpose space for the benefit of the whole community.

Plans to extend Blaenllechau Community Regeneration development work include: purchase of the local Post Office, purchase and renovation of under used housing stock and the purchase of both the farm and the miners welfare hall.

BCR is presently heavily dependent on grant funding to meet its expenditure but is aiming for eventual financial sustainability through each project becoming income generating. All funds gained would then be ploughed back into the community for the benefit of all in Blaenllechau.