PLANED continues to support communities with innovative advice and guidance, to retain and protect local assets, raise community share offers, and identify partnership opportunities to repurpose existing facilities.
Since 2007, PLANED has supported communities with:
£2.2 million raised in community shares
£4.5 million generated in additional grants
3,100 shareholders & volunteers involved to date
Below are a selection of just some of the communities and projects we have empowered and enabled as PLANED, across West Wales, to retain and develop their community assets:
Llangain Village Hall, Carmarthenshire
Supported to successfully obtain a £10,000 Perthyn Grant in 2023 to enable the refurbishment and expansion of their Village Hall. Funding has enabled an architect to be engaged to draw up plans to help develop a modern, self sustaining initiative within this vibrant community.
Further support included the arrangement of an exchange visit for Llangain Community activists with their counterparts in Hermon, Pembrokeshire, to learn about their similar previous journey and project as a community.
Cilycwm Chapel, Carmarthenshire
Working with Menter Dinefwr based in Llandeilo, we supported the community to successfully obtain a £10,000 Perthyn grant to help purchase this listed building.
Now in community ownership, PLANED continues to support people locally with their plans for additional funding to be secured, to develop the building as a community venue with a feasibility study and business plan.
Fflach Recording Studio, Ceredigion
We have supported the retention of this key record label and studio for community use and ownership, by helping to secure a £12,000 Perthyn Grant, and a further £30,000 Arfor2 grant.
Working with the family of the previous owners to enable the community ownership, we have also received positive feedback from Welsh Government who are excited about this project to develop further support for young Welsh Language bands to have access to recording space and release new material.
The share offer in 2024 hopes to raise £200,000.
Brynymyrnach Chapel, Pembrokeshire
Having supported the community to raise the £50,000 needed to purchase this key local building, PLANED have continued to support with helping to secure a £10,000 Perthyn grant to pay for a set of plans to demonstrate to future funders.
The funded plans outline in more detail, the proposals for two affordable flats on the new first floor to be installed, and the creation of heritage centre and café for the community on the ground floor.
Tafarn Crymych Arms, Pembrokeshire
With support from PLANED, the community successfully raised over £200,000 to help secure the purchase of the building in October 2023.
To aid the redevelopment and refurbishment of the building to reopen as full community pub and hub, the funding above was used to draw down further money from the UK Government and the ‘Community Ownership Fund’.
In May 2024, the pub was officially reopened with a community event, and will continue to identify further funding for additional expansion plans, led and informed by, the local community.
Tafarn y Cross, Hayscastle, Pembrokeshire
The local community were supported by PLANED to set up an initial committee, and then proceed with all necessary structures and regulations met to successfully deliver a community share offer that raised £240,000, to purchase the pub in 2023.
PLANED continued to support the community with facilitation and advice in 2024 as a new committee was put in place to then oversee and enable the operation of the pub as a key community asset once trading.
Siop Havards, Newport, Pembrokeshire
PLANED has supported the project initiated within the community, to save Havards store which was a traditional Ironmongers shop dating back to 1840. It is a vital asset for the Community of Trefdraeth, and its many visitors.
In 2020, the owner was unable to find someone to take the shop over and it was likely that it would be shut it down if a way was not found to keep it open, and with our support, the first public meeting to look at solutions, was held at the end of July 2021.
Supporting all those present, it was agreed and officially voted that the community should try and save this historic hardware shop for the community, with the creation of a Community Benefits Society.
With a business plan in place, funds of approximately £475,000, were raised from share sales, grants and loans, with the community purchase of the shop realised by November 2022.
PLANED will continue to offer support to the Community Benefits Society that enables the running of Siop Havards for the community, as well as the next stages of their plan with further renovations and improvements, to ensure there continues to be a viable building and business at the heart of the community.
Tafarn Sinc, Rosebush, Pembrokeshire
Support was provided by PLANED in 2017 when the pub was facing closure as no-one was able to raise a mortgage on the building dating back to 1876 constructed of a timber frame with horse hair insulation and corrugated tin exterior.
In all, following a successful community share offer and campaign, £410,000 was raised to allow the community to run the pub from November 2017.
PLANED continued to provide support with the administration of the share offer, and providing consultancy to the volunteers and management committee.
White Hart, St Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire
PLANED supported the community in, and around St Dogmaels, with a number of public meetings and additional work on business planning for the launch of the community share offer in 2021.
A total of over £350,000 was raised by this Community Share Offer, to help purchase the pub.
The pub was reopened as a community owned enterprise in Pub opened in 2021, and continues to be a local success thanks to volunteers and visitors alike.
Through development of action plans and community forums, PLANED support the resilience of rural communities by identifying opportunities for community based facilities, ensuring communities have access to the services afforded to more urban settlements through partnership and innovation, and development of rural services to meet the needs of the community.
We will encourage improved wellbeing and integration by helping communities to experience The Five Ways to Wellbeing
Community Engagement and Consultation
We use bespoke community focused tools and methodologies to engage with the community.
We use a variety of engagement methods such as ‘Visioning’, Surveys, Action Research, Asset based development, online forums and discussions, community conversations (eg. Carbon conversations), Youth engagement, theory of change, mapping, events and arts – all of which are embedded with co-production.
Action Planning and Area Development Plans
An Action Plan provides an overview of the whole community, identifies local need and local opportunities, represents a forward look at the changes a community wants to see, and identifies the organisations needed to help implement the Plan. These Action Plans can lead to the strengthening of existing groups and creation of new ones, the enhancement and creation of local amenities and new opportunities to link into strategies and Hub Area Development Plans.
You can see examples of previous Action Plans here.
Supporting Community Forums and Associations
In order to take the Action Plan forward, PLANED supports the community to form a Community Forum (where one is not already in existence) that is open to all members of the community. PLANED will prepare publicity, arrange meetings and events, share good practice and support the Community Forum by improving communication and signposting to partner organisations and projects. Community Forum members are encouraged and supported to establish relevant working groups to take forward specific project proposals identified in the Action Plan.
Supporting Projects and Initiatives
Projects are identified in Community Action Plans and Hub Area Development Plans. PLANED’s approach at ‘turning ideas into action’ encourages working groups to look at strengths and opportunities that exist locally, for specific projects what can be done locally and who can help, and then identify the next steps, for example liaising with service providers etc.
Through a number of initiatives PLANED may be able to offer financial support for projects identified in Community Action Plans and Hub Area Development Plans which contribute to local regeneration and economic growth.
For information about the project funding please get in touch hello@planed.org.uk
