THE largest provider of carer services in Wales unveiled new headquarters following a surge in demand.
The move comes after NEWCIS (North East Wales Carers Information Service) doubled its workforce post-pandemic while receiving more than 100 carer referrals a week from Wrexham, Flintshire and Denbighshire.
The organisation has moved to a nearly 6,000 square foot premises in Mold High Street – formerly Barclay’s Bank – and completely renovated the building to include a shop, offices, meeting rooms, disabled access and a pop-up space for community and health groups to utilise.
NEWCIS was supported by local businesses, notably St Asaph-based FFP Solutions, which helped them secure the funding to acquire the property, and Cilcain’s DC Wolfe Construction Ltd.
CEO Claire Sullivan – approaching 25 years with NEWCIS – said they also received a series of grants, including a Town Centre Property Improvement Grant, which helped the organisation take the “natural next step” and bring all its operations under one roof.
Now employing more than 50 staff and representing up to 24,000 carers in Wales, Claire says NEWCIS will continue to go from strength to strength.
“We are delighted to finally open; the process has been a real labour of love, but we are here and proud to be at the heart of Mold’s busy high street,” she said.
“Having such a large space and being on the ground floor makes us even more accessible, which is vital as we have carers who work with people living with dementia and disabilities, many of whom struggled to utilise some of our other bases.
“This location is perfect and gives us the opportunity to move things around when needed for events or larger training groups, and there is also an outdoor area we will look to develop for health and wellbeing projects.
“We hope our presence will be well received, especially the shop as it’s a real blank canvas, the footfall and passing traffic are unlike anything we’ve seen so we want to catch the eye and entice customers in to support us.”
Long-term plans also include a drop-in banking facility and the hosting of classes and workshops, including sewing and crafts, and parent and child sessions.
Claire is confident the move will create additional revenue streams and have a positive impact for years to come, and thanked FFP Solutions for helping them to achieve their vision.
“I would also like to thank Flintshire County Council, Mold Town Council and our amazing volunteers and board of trustees for their support throughout this process,” she said.
“It has taken a lot of time and effort to get to this point and there is more to come as we are going to do this step by step and in phases, but this is the perfect platform for us to do that and achieve our goals.”
Claire added: “We are receiving more than 100 referrals a week and that number is rising all the time, not just in north east Wales but in South Wales, where we are also supporting carers.
“This looks set to continue, especially following the pandemic as so many community and day centres closed for good.
“We will still be working across communities and are looking at opening other hubs in this region to bolster our outreach services, given the demand we are seeing, but for now we want to settle into our new home and continue delivering training, counselling, financial assistance, and advocacy to the tens of thousands of carers and families who need our help.”
FFP Solutions Director Richard Lloyd-Jones congratulated them on the redevelopment and said: “We were happy to play our part in helping NEWCIS acquire this property, it is perfect for their needs and I’m sure will be of great value to the community and their growing network of carers.
“Assisting organisations and businesses of all sizes in securing funding is one of our strengths, and this is another example where our services have been used to realise long-term ambitions – anyone else in that position should definitely get in touch to find out how we can help.”
