CARMARTHEN: After 27 years and £1.1m raised, new children’s centre finds its preferred home

A children’s centre that Carmarthenshire families have spent 27 years raising money for finally has a preferred home.

Hywel Dda University Health Board has named Tudor House at St David’s Park in Carmarthen as the preferred site for the purpose-built centre, with a six-week public engagement opening today.

The Bandi Appeal has raised more than £1.1m since its launch in 1999 through donations and fundraising by local people, businesses and community groups, working towards a centre where children, young people and families can reach a range of services in one place.

The health board says the current children’s centre, Tŷ Arthur at Glangwili Hospital, no longer meets the needs of today’s services, with limited space, difficult access for some and little room for different services to work together. Tudor House sits 2.8 miles away.

The proposed centre would bring health, social care, education, charity and community services closer together, and could include:

• More clinic and assessment rooms
• Space for different professionals to work side by side
• Facilities designed around the needs of autistic children, children with ADHD and children with complex needs
• Improved access for wheelchair users, including a Changing Places facility
• Separate waiting areas for different age groups
• Outdoor space for play, therapy and assessments
• Areas for family support groups, learning sessions and wellbeing activities

Lee Davies, the health board’s executive director of strategy and planning, paid tribute to the fundraisers behind the project.

“For more than 25 years, supporters of the Bandi Appeal have worked hard to raise money and keep this project moving forward,” he said. “We are very grateful for their support and commitment to children’s services.”

He called the preferred site “an important step forward”, adding the board looked forward to hearing the views of staff, service users and local communities as the plans develop.

Nick Williams-Davies, general manager for women and children, said the aim was a place where children feel at ease. “By bringing services together in one place, we can make it easier to access support and create spaces where children and young people feel comfortable, safe and respected,” he said.

“Most importantly, we want families, staff, children and young people to help shape the future of the centre.”

The project is being developed with Canolfan Plant Sir Gâr, the charity behind the Bandi Appeal, and Carmarthenshire County Council, and has support in principle from Hospital Rooms, a charity that works with artists to make healthcare settings calmer and more welcoming.

If that partnership goes ahead, local children would take part in creative workshops shaping artwork and spaces inside the building.

The centre would serve children and young people across Carmarthenshire, with some specialist services continuing to support families from Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, and the health board has secured Welsh Government funding to develop the detailed business case.

The engagement runs for six weeks from today, with the survey open until Wednesday 14 October. Anyone wanting to share their views can complete the questionnaire on the health board’s Have Your Say website.