Local Community Centre ‘Thrilled’ With New Kitchen

Members of a local community centre have said they are ‘thrilled’ with improvement works donated to the facility by a council contractor.

Parciau Community Centre, in Bellevue, received a brand new kitchen from Wates Living Space, a contractor currently carrying out kitchen and bathroom replacements in council properties in the Offa Community Council area of Wrexham.

The improvement works included the installation of new worktops, cupboards and tiling.

Welcoming the works carried out at the centre, Christine Griffiths, Treasurer for the Centre’s Management Committee, said: “We were thrilled when we heard that Wates were offering to refurbish the kitchen free of charge.

“We’ve worked hard to make the Centre an attractive environment so that it remains an important and viable benefit at the heart of this community. We’ve had excellent feedback from the groups using the centre.

“We have a kitchen far beyond our expectations and would like to thank Wates and Wrexham Council for the co-operation we received throughout.”

The work was donated by Wates as a Community Benefit scheme. Contractors who carry out housing improvements for Wrexham Council are now required to contribute to the local economy through schemes such as refurbishing local facilities, purchasing supplies from local businesses and taking on local labour and Modern Apprentices.

Local Member for Offa, Cllr Alun Jenkins, said, “I’m delighted that this well used facility has been able to receive improvements, thanks to the Council’s housing improvement scheme. It is important that the local community is able to benefit from the huge investment being made in modernizing the Council’s housing stock.

“Everyone has been really impressed with the quality for the work and I’d like to thank Wates for their efforts in putting this together.”

Cllr Phil Wynn,Local Member for Brynyffynnon, added: “This is very positive news for the local community and all the groups who use the Centre. A number of properties in the Offa Community Ward have been modernised with new kitchens and bathrooms over the last few months so it’s good to see that this facility has also been able to benefit.

“It’s made a huge difference and I’m sure the users will be delighted with the results.”

Wrexham Council are investing £54m in housing improvement work in 2016/17. This is to fund the programme to ensure that they achieve the Welsh Government’s Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2020.

The work includes offering new kitchens and bathrooms to all properties, where required to meet the news standard. Other internal and external improvements such as electrical rewires, central heating, garden paths and fences are also being carried out where required.

As well as refurbishing community facilities, Community Benefit schemes have also resulted in:

– Over 60 Modern Apprentices taken on by council contractors
– 60 weeks of work experience provided
– At least 70 employees provided with short or long term employment
– Over £63,000 has been donated as cash or in-kind to organisations or projects within Wales.

Explaining the Community Benefit schemes, Lead Member for Housing, Cllr Ian Roberts, said: “We want to ensure that our local communities and economies are able to benefit as much as possible from the massive investment we are making in housing improvement work.

“We’ve seen a boost to local employment and the economy as a result of the schemes and a number of community facilities across the County Borough have also received improvement work. This is very valuable work for local groups who often rely heavily on donations and volunteers to keep their services running.”

More information on Community Benefit schemes and the work being carried out to achieve the Welsh Housing Quality Standard can be found on Wrexham Council’s website.