A PROJECT to transform a former primary school in Torfaen has received a funding boost from the proceeds of a fun day.
The Arts Resource Centre Torfaen (ARC) has submitted plans to take over the former Victoria Primary School in Abersychan, with My Support Team (MyST), a regional service providing therapeutic support for children with complex mental health needs.
To help with the launch of the project, a fun day was held at the Rising Sun Inn, which also doubled as an opportunity to share the plans for the project with Abersychan residents.
Tom Murray, director of the ARC Torfaen project, said: "The ARC project is about creating a space the community can use to pursue their interests, whether it’s a choir hoping to find space to rehearse, or someone learning water colour painting.
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"What’s important is that the project is able to provide the space, the support and the encouragement that the community need to pursue those passions.
"There is an abundance of creative talent in Torfaen, which, if encouraged, could become a resource benefitting the whole community."
Torfaen MP Nick Thomas-Symonds attended the event, and said: "I am gratified to see not only the community coming together to save the school site but working with the local authority to ensure that it remained at the heart of the community."
(The fun day at the Rising Sun in Abersychan raising money and awareness for the Art Resource Centre in Torfaen. Picture: Art Resource Centre Torfaen.)
The event featured entertainment and stalls with a variety of acts from folk bands, rock groups and dance groups, artists and crafters all showcasing their talents.
"Lots of people worked really hard to pull this event together," said Mr Murray.
"We plan to continue arranging events with the support of local artists and musicians in the hope that we will be able to raise enough capital to kickstart the project.
"We also intend to look into social media crowd funding sites like GofundMe and Kickstarter. Once we have secured the site we can then begin applying for grants to support the project but in the meantime we need as much support from the local community as we can get."
The group is inviting anyone from the local community to get involved. It can be contacted via its Facebook page by searching 'Arts Resource Centre, Torfaen.'
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