Cyngor Gwynedd’s Cabinet has approved plans to grant Menter Fachwen a long-term lease, allowing the charity to move forward with its vision to develop the former Cwm-y-glo school site as a charity resource.
Menter Fachwen is a charity which has been providing education, development and training opportunities for individuals with learning disabilities for almost 40 years. The charity now plans to develop the site in response to changing needs and aspirations of its beneficiaries.
The aim is to create an inclusive and welcoming facility that can be used by the people supported by the charity, staff and volunteers, as well as the wider local community.
Plans for the site include a:
- community hall
- coffee shop
- circular economy hub, (including workshops and a clothing exchange bank)
- sensory and therapy room
- local history space
- community garden and accessible play facilities.
There will also be space for local groups and services to use the site, creating a lively hub in the middle of the village. A key purpose of the development will be to expand vocational training and development opportunities for adults with learning disabilities.
The charity’s Chair, Councillor Berwyn Parry Jones, said:
Taking on Ysgol Cwm y Glo provides an exciting opportunity to build on our work and develop new day opportunities and work-based opportunities for people with learning disabilities.
We also recognise how important the school has been to the community in Cwm y Glo for generations. We are really pleased to have the opportunity to give the building a new purpose, and we want its future to remain firmly rooted in the local community
We look forward to working with the people we support, the council and the local community as we develop our plans for Ysgol Cwm y Glo.
We would like to thank Cyngor Gwynedd for supporting the charity’s development and for recognising the potential Ysgol Cwm y glo has to continue making a positive contribution to the charity beneficiairies and the area.”
Cyngor Gwynedd Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, Councillor Paul Rowlinson, added:
Menter Fachwen’s plans for the former school offer a great opportunity to create long-term benefits for the local community, and I am very pleased that the Council is able to play a part by offering them a long-term lease for a nominal sum.
The development will expand Menter Fachwen’s valuable work with adults with learning disabilities over many years to come. It will create exciting opportunities for people and provide a space for the community to come together. The project will bring new life to the former school building in the heart of Cwm-y-glo, creating an asset for the whole community.”