A new chapter for learning disability services in Meirionnydd

Adults with learning disabilities in the Meirionnydd area will receive training opportunities and support at a brand new centre, which will also be a resource for the wider community, thanks to an investment of almost £4 million.

Work by Cyngor Gwynedd to develop a new hub for adults with learning disabilities will begin at the Canolfan Dolfeurig site in Dolgellau over the next few weeks.

When the hub opens its doors next year to welcome individuals, it will provide new and innovative opportunities that align with good practice in the learning disabilities field. The hub will be an accessible building designed with the needs of the individuals the users in mind, which will meet local requirements today and in the future.

The new hub will provide training opportunities to support people with learning disabilities to take their first steps into the world of work and encourage collaboration and integration with the local community.

The £3.9 million project will include:

• a wood workshop,
• sensory room,
• training kitchen,
• craft workshop,
• a room with a therapeutic waterbed,
• a clinical space to promote joint-working with the health service,
• a small retail space to sell cards/crafts and products made by the individuals attending the hub,
• a sensory garden,
• car wash,
• accessible toilet/bathroom.

The new building will also provide community resources, including a café with an outdoor seating terrace, meeting rooms, and a hall/space for community activities.

Councillor Dilwyn Morgan, Cyngor Gwynedd Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being, said:

"I am delighted to see a significant investment in a scheme that is so important to the area, and look forward to seeing the centre re-opening with new facilities.

"The former Canolfan Dolfeurig has been a home to the Council's learning disability services for decades, and is close to the heart of many people. But unfortunately, the condition of the building has deteriorated and it is no longer fit for purpose.

"Maintaining hubs like these in our communities is a very important part of the ethos of the learning disabilities service, and a new and suitable way of integrating services with the wider community, creating valuable connections and relationships with residents and organisations.

"I sincerely hope that having a modern and suitable hub will also create new opportunities to work closely with the local community and draw members of the public in through the doors, whether to the café for refreshments or to hire a room for a community meeting."

The project is led and partly funded by Cyngor Gwynedd, sponsored by Welsh Government grant funding through the Health and Social Care Integration and Rebalancing Capital Fund (IRCF) and the Integrated Care Fund (ICF).

Initial work on the site has already begun and arrangements have been made for the present individuals to be supported at alternative sites within the local community while the work is ongoing.