Improving Sport & Wellness Facilities in Llandrindod Wells
Llandrindod Wells Town Council wanted to explore the potential for a Sports and Wellness project in the town. Their aim was to bring together all the sports and wellness groups in Llandrindod Wells and assess the current facilities, identify local community needs, and identify any opportunity to pool resources. The initial goal was to encourage people to be more active and improve our health and well-being as a community. The long-term vision is to see the town become a sporting hub for this rural area, bringing new vibrancy and energy to the town which is affected by issues of poverty and deprivation.
The Town Council commissioned ‘Resources for Change’ to support them to consult with local activity providers (clubs, groups, businesses etc) and the wider community. To establish what is needed, what is achievable, and to develop an outline business case to evidence this.
Local organisations and businesses providing sport and wellness facilities and /or services were engaged and consulted through an initial online questionnaire, followed by an online workshop. This was to evaluate the condition of current facilities, and gauge current levels of use. It also ensured that the work was framed in a way that would support and benefit existing providers, often volunteer led, within the community.
Despite being unable to meet face to face because of covid restrictions, there was a great response from the community. We then conducted a community wide consultation to identify the needs of the local residents and identify workable opportunities for future developments. Finally, these locally identified issues and priorities were considered alongside regional and local policy (which inform funding and support), to identify options which are both achievable and beneficial to the community.
The project identified a real desire for a project of this kind amongst the local community and the existing activity providers, especially the 3rd sector. It highlighted a shortlist of different project options that addressed local needs and priorities, and would also have a strong case for future investment.
This initial piece of work will inform the council’s future plans and underpin future efforts to source potential funding to enable the identified developments and/or improvements to be realised. It’s already led to work to develop a new Skatepark, and we look forward to seeing how this develops over the coming months!