Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund is pleased to announce the award of a £145,980 grant to Ferndale-based social enterprise, the Arts Factory. Over the next four years, the organisation will be able to take its enterprise activities to the next level – helping it to grow, become sustainable and much less reliant on fund raising.
The Arts Factory has been at the heart of the community for the past 30 years – working to improve peoples’ lives by providing a wide range of essential services and activities. Increasingly, these are supported by its social businesses – the organisation has led the way in showing that income generation can really work for the voluntary sector.
The Community Fund grant will support the further development of Arts Factory Design, refurbish areas of the groups’ iconic Trerhondda chapel base providing more space for hire, and an upgrade of the IT equipment used by the whole organisation.
Why was this application supported?
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It was well thought through and evidenced, with a convincing business plan and clear cashflow forecasts
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Two jobs will be created – with the potential for further posts in time
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Income generated by the strengthened social enterprises will support delivery of essential services and opportunities to the Ferndale community
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It ensures that an important high street building in the centre of Ferndale is refurbished for community use, and plays an important part in the thriving townscape
Lisa Wills, Head of Operations at the Arts Factory is delighted – “this Pen y Cymoedd Community Fund grant is a fantastic head start towards generating sustainable income, which in turn will feed into the Arts Factory charity to engage, train and support marginalised people in the Valleys community”.