A former nightclub in Llandrindod Wells is enjoying a new lease of life as a food bank and advice centre, thanks to funding secured by Powys County Council.
The council awarded £146,000 towards the cost of the second phase of the building work to refurbish the Oasis site behind the Commodore Hotel, on Spa Road, which has previously been known as The Venue and V Nightclub and Bar.
The funding was provided in the form of a Welsh Government Placemaking Grant, through its Transforming Towns Programme, and has been used to help create:
- Office space for use by the food bank and partners.
- A reception area for meeting and socialising.
- An advice centre with private meeting rooms.
- A kitchen for preparing hot meals and snacks, and for running cookery courses.
- An accessible entrance, new doors and windows.
This complemented previous work on site, which was also supported by the council through the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Programme and created:
- A food storage and distribution area.
- Toilets and shower facilities for people who are sleeping rough.
- A laundry for washing clothes and bedding.
The National Lottery Community Fund, The Trussell Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation and Benefact Trust have also supplied grants to the food bank.
Llandrindod Foodbank covers a large area of central Powys and as well as giving out food parcels from its Spa Road home has satellite sites at Builth Wells (Community Support office) and Llanwrtyd Wells (Institute): https://llandrindod.foodbank.org.uk/
It moved to the Oasis building in December 2021, after it was bought for the charity by two local benefactors who want to remain anonymous.
Llandrindod Foodbank distributed 1,151 food parcels between 1 April and 30 September this year, including 379 to help feed children aged 16 or under. The total number of food parcels was 153 more than the same period last year.
“Together with our partner agencies, we serve an area of 500 square miles in total, and this facility is available to anyone that needs it,” said Tessa Bradley, Llandrindod Foodbank and Advice Centre Project Manager. “By providing access to advice on money issues, budgeting, benefits, jobs and housing etc., we anticipate a greater number of people being able to return to contributing to the economic growth of the town and surrounding areas.
“Also, we hope to see a decrease in the number of people needing to use the food bank over time.”
The Transforming Towns programme in Mid Wales is supported by Powys and Ceredigion County Councils’ Economic Development and Regeneration Teams.
Councillor David Selby, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a more Prosperous Powys said: “It’s great to see Llandrindod Foodbank being able to expand the range of services it offers, with the help of a Placemaking Grant, and I very much hope they will be successful in using these to reduce the number of people needing their support over time.
“We are aiming to create a stronger, fairer and greener Powys and their amazing work is helping us achieve that goal.”
The Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme is focused on supporting the vibrancy of our town centres, developing green infrastructure, enabling job creation, and improving community facilities and access to services. Bringing empty properties back into beneficial use is a central pillar of the programme, and Mid Wales has been allocated £7m since 2022 to deliver town centre Regeneration projects.
The Placemaking Grant is designed to be flexible, and delivered through the local authority, to support smaller scale interventions (up to £250,000 grant) that help improve town centres.
Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, said: “It’s wonderful to see how our Transforming Towns Programme, and in particular the Placemaking Grant, has helped transform this disused building in Llandrindod Wells and bring it back into beneficial use for the local community.
“Our investment into Mid Wales is supporting the economic and social resilience of town centres, creating employment and volunteer opportunities and improving community facilities and access to services.”
J.A. Morgan Construction, Llandrindod Wells, carried out both phases of the building work for Llandrindod Foodbank.
The need for the expanded food bank provision in Llandrindod Wells was evidenced through a town investment plan.
