Partners in a major £12.2m scheme to update and extend Grŵp Cynefin’s Extra Care Housing facility in Ruthin have been given a guided tour and an insight into how it will eventually look.
Grŵp Cynefin Interim Chief Executive Mel Evans and Chair Tim Jones, Denbighshire County Council Cabinet Lead Member Elen Heaton and Ann Lloyd, Head of Adult Social Care and Homelessness, and other key officers involved were guided around the site by Ed Haley, Project Manager and other managers and surveyors from construction company Read.
The onsite work to completely redevelop the present Llys Awelon Extra Care housing Scheme started a year ago and will be completed later this year. The new Llys Awelon will offer a modern, low carbon scheme to meet the needs of older people in the Denbighshire area including an additional 35 one and two-bedroom flats to the existing 21 flats, within a purpose-built building with communal areas such as gardens, lounges, a restaurant, and a hairdressing salon.
In addition to the facility itself, there is an opportunity for the wider community to benefit from the scheme with £18,000 of grants available to local projects and clubs to improve lives and opportunities in the Ruthin area. The fund is open to applications until the end of this month, with more information on the Grŵp Cynefin website Llys Awelon Community Grant – Grŵp Cynefin (grwpcynefin.org)
Mel Evans, Grŵp Cynefin’s Interim Chief Executive said: “Seeing the incredible work that’s going on and the progress that’s been made in Llys Awelon is fantastic. It’s a complex project since the construction work is happening alongside the current facility, and so any work must cause as little disruption as possible to the residents and staff.
“I’d like to thank everyone involved in this project, within Grŵp Cynefin and our partners in Denbighshire Council and the Welsh Government for the positive collaboration that’s resulting in great progress.
“The additional community grant offered by Grŵp Cynefin and Read Construction as part of the project will hopefully make a wider difference too and I urge groups and organisations to get their applications in before the closing date.”
Councillor Elen Heaton, Lead member for Health and Social Care, Denbighshire Council commented: “It truly was a pleasure to visit Llys Awelon and witness the remarkable progress achieved over the past year in its redevelopment. Addressing the needs of our older population in Denbighshire is vital, and I extend my sincere thanks to Grŵp Cynefin and Read Construction for their dedicated efforts. I am excited to revisit the site once the works have been completed at the end of the year.”
Alex Read, Director, Read Construction said: “Read Construction is proud to be involved in this project and the way in which all partners in its inception, design and construction are working collaboratively to deliver a high-quality residential facility.
“The finished extra care accommodation will provide modern, top-quality, energy-efficient flats for the benefit of the local community. We’re pleased to be able to offer the extra benefit of these community grants and hope that local interested groups get their application in soon before the closing date.”
The project is a partnership between Denbighshire Council, Grŵp Cynefin and the Welsh Government and is supported by £7.1m of Welsh Government Social Housing Programme funding.
Header image: Wes Skillicorn (Read Construction), Gwawr Lewis (Llys Awelon Scheme Manager, Grŵp Cynefin), Ed Haley (Project Manager, Read), Ann Lloyd (Head of Adult Social Care and Homelessness Denbighshire Council), Tim Jones (Chair, Grŵp Cynefin), Arwyn Evans (Head of Development Grŵp Cynefin, Lee Ellis (Read) T Bryn Davies (Project Manager, Grŵp Cynefin), Paul Baker (Metrics), Mel Evans (Interim Chief Executive, Grŵp Cynefin) Gareth Rowlands (Read) Stuart Hetherington (Read), Elen Heaton (Lead member for Health and Social Care, Denbighshire Council), Noela Jones (Head of Neighbourhoods, Grŵp Cynefin), and Alex Read (Director, Read).
