When Staci Sylvan, 44, had her first child in her 20s, she wanted to make friends with other mums but struggled to find somewhere clean and suitable for them to meet and catch-up for a coffee.
Their babies wanted to play and crawl on the floor rather than sit in highchairs and Staci said her group of mum friends would cause chaos in coffee shops and pubs whenever they met up with their kids.
Deciding to create their own space that was clean, safe and perfect for parents to hang out in, they rented out the upstairs of a health food shop in Carmarthen and hosted yoga classes and other events as well as offering signposting to mental health services to parents. You can read more stories about Carmarthen here.
Read more: Independent businesses are closing with others at 'bursting point' following Welsh bridge closure
The Nurture Centre has now evolved dramatically from what Staci described as its somewhat "yummy mummy" roots, but still has a strong focus on wellbeing and looking after the community of Carmarthen. After moving to a bigger venue in 2018 and later adding a cafe to the centre, the hub is now used by over 150 groups and practitioners. The centre also acts as a warm hub and provides food to those struggling with food bills, offering a community freezer and hot meals
Sadly, profits from the centre's cafe dried up, which threatened the survival of the centre. Paired with personal issues with managing staff, the centre ran up thousands of pounds of debt to the council and is now struggling to survive after falling into arrears in rent and rate payments over the past twelve months. Nurture director Staci - who has been running another community centre in Kidwelly since April, 2022- said she was now working tirelessly to save it.
With £17,000 of debt owed to Carmarthenshire County Council, Staci set up a fundraiser in a desperate bid to keep the centre open. After discussing the closure of the centre with its users, she said it was soon clear that without the Nurture Centre, many vulnerable people in Carmarthen would have nowhere else to go.
During a cost-of-living crisis which has seen even more demand for services on offer at the centre, Staci said bills had shot up, with gas and electricity expected to cost £1,300 a month- a 160% increase on their usual £500 bill.
"People keep saying to me that they are really shocked that we have to pay rent and business rates and it is a bit bonkers with the stuff that we are doing that we have quite big overheads. Lots of people think we're run by the council and we're not. We're independent," said Staci.
"The council haven't just shut us down which they could have done. So they have been supportive in some ways but they haven't wiped the debt, we are having to pay that back."
Carmarthenshire Council’s cabinet member for resources, Cllr Alun Lenny, said the council had taken a very sympathetic approach towards the Nurture Centre’s "present predicament" and that it had discussed ways of helping in great detail.
“As a result of these discussions, the centre’s director accepted the financial arrangements we were prepared to put in place. The support we enabled is substantial, and the agreement between ourselves and the centre should ensure its future," said Cllr Lenny.
The centre had raised £3,253 through its gofundme page so far, Staci said, so the future was looking brighter but she said it was still not certain that the building would be able to stay open as they applied for additional funding.
"It's been a really hard month for my mental health," said Staci, who is also busy home-schooling her child who has autism and is unable to attend school. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from people who use and rely on the centre was what was keeping her going, she said.
"There is nowhere else in Carmarthen offering this sort of stuff," said Staci, who said she broke down in tears when she read the reviews of people who used the centre. In one review featured on the centre's website, one person, who receives counselling at the facility, said it had saved their life. Another person said it provided an important lifeline for LGBTQ+ groups to meet and it was the only reason they visited Carmarthen.
Read next:
- MP Simon Hart's office vandalised with 'Tories out' graffiti
- Rhod Gilbert reveals cancer sees him spending 'whole weeks' in bed
- Thugs come to Welsh town, attack people and say 'this is what happens to people who don't show respect'
- Nine-bedroom mini-mansion on sale for same price as a Cardiff semi
- Fish and chip shop named one of best in Wales closes down
