A Merthyr Tydfil community and residential centre which recently underwent a £1.2m redevelopment programme is being officially opened next month.
Compass Community Hub and Housing Project at Gurnos, formerly the Neighbourhood Learning Centre (NLC), will be opened by Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan MS on 22 March.
On 23 March, the hub will host an open day where people will be invited to take part in workshops on wellbeing and mindfulness, IT and digital skills, carpentry, retail training and customer service, jewellery making, craft activities and a taster session in beauty.
The NLC opened originally as residential flats, but for the past 25 years has been used as an educational base to help unemployed young people and adults get jobs in a range of vocations.
As part of the County Borough Council’s Capital Programme investment project, the centre’s employability and training facilities have been relocated into two of the three building blocks. The third has been converted into five self-contained quality apartments.
The Council was awarded £1,129,174 for the project from the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Integrated Care Fund Discretionary Capital Programme, which has identified work with young people and looked after children as a key priority, and a further £129,115 from Welsh Government’s Housing with Care Fund through the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Regional Partnership Board.
“The new Compass Community Hub will become an integral part of the community and the whole county borough with a view to encouraging learning and upskilling, improving wellbeing and promoting social inclusion,” said Council Leader Cllr Geraint Thomas.
“The project will have a fantastic impact on the area, regenerating underused and tired looking buildings and making the community a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit and gain skills and training to lead to employability.”
Compass Hub Open Day will take place on 23 March 2023, from 11am-7pm. As well as the range of taster sessions on offer, staff will also take visitors on a tour and talk to them about the services on offer.
