Big plans have been revealed about a project that's hoped to transform the Cynon Valley into an "epicentre of prosperity".
The new pilot project has ambitious regeneration plans aimed at promoting collaborative working and enhancing business opportunities in the area.
Dubbed The CORE Project, due to run up to June 2022, the place-based pilot will be centred around a business incubation and information hub in Aberdare.
In a nutshell the plan is to create a co-working space, which will function as a business incubator, allowing innovative ideas to grow.
Read more: You can find more stories from the Cynon Valley here.
The space will enable businesses, community groups and partner organisations to come together and develop regeneration ideas, which are set to benefit local people for generations to come.
The aim of the project is to embrace opportunities for the development of local businesses, which address needs in the wider Cynon Valley community.
There will be a particular focus on creating new initiatives around sustainable food production and tackling climate change, supported by business development workshops and grants of up to £10,000 for both new and existing businesses.
These grants will be issued to develop solutions that will lead to aiding the climate, environment and community.
The whole idea is about bringing people with common interests together to create the changes people in Aberdare, and surrounding areas, want to see.
It's hoped the project will help to create jobs, prospects and local economic prosperity for the future.
The new hub will also act as an access point to a variety of ongoing business advice services from Social Business Wales and Big Ideas Wales among others.
It's hoped the CORE Business Solutions Centre will make Aberdare the go-to for new business support and collaborative local economic development in the Cynon Valley and beyond.
The project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund, and is supported by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.
Our Aberdare BID will lead the co-ordination of the project - the BID is a five-year business-led and funded partnership which started in May 2020, and works to facilitate local businesses to invest in improvements within the town and surrounding area.
Jim Bradley, Our Aberdare BID chairman, said: "We are proud to be leading the co-ordination of this project, for this will put Aberdare front and centre in the fight back to regenerate the town and the Cynon Valley.
“We will create an environment which will promote the Cynon Valley as an excellent place to do business, and in which to live and work.
"A visitor information centre will also be set up here to provide literature on all that the valley has to offer.
“We look forward to support from all agencies but, in particular, from those who already live and work in the valley.”
The project will have collaborative approaches at its core, with partners alongside Our Aberdare BID including the Wales Co-operative Centre, microfinance provider Purple Shoots, employment specialists BPI Consultancy and community-integrated mental health support providers, Signposted Cymru.
Specialist support will be offered through a variety of activities, events and workshops, including community enterprise days specifically focusing on social enterprise and purpose-led business development.
From its earliest stages, the pilot proposal proved popular, having gained the backing of more than 270 local businesses within the Aberdare Business Improvement District.
It has also received parliamentary support for its capacity to positively affect the community for generations to come.
Speaking about the project gaining the green light, Beth Winter, Labour MP for Cynon Valley, said: "The world of work is changing and so are our town centres.
"A shared working space will bring people into Aberdare town centre and promote entrepreneurism and innovation in our communities.
"If people who would otherwise be commuting out of the valley were enabled to spend their time and money in the town centre, the knock on effect could be really important for the local economy.
“This is incredibly exciting news and I’d like to put on record my thanks to Our Aberdare BID, and the Wales Co-operative Centre, for the hard work that went into securing this funding.”
With funding from the Community Renewal Fund to kick-start the project, and ambitious plans to develop opportunities for investment in skills and employment, the aim is to attract further investment into Aberdare town centre.
As a longstanding supporter of Our Aberdare BID, and providing endorsement for the pilot project from its earliest stages, Vikki Howells, Member of the Senedd for Cynon Valley, said: “It was a pleasure to support Aberdare BID with their application for funding from the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund.
"I’m delighted that this application has been a success and that funding has been awarded for the BID to develop a town centre hub from which they can support local businesses.
"Local independent businesses are the backbone of our town centre, and I’ve no doubt that with the support of the BID we will see more businesses grow and thrive.”
People power will be the focal point of development plans, empowering and uniting people with a shared vision - particularly those currently unemployed or at risk of redundancy.
Vocational courses and learning programmes will be available across subjects from leadership and management to marketing, income diversification and lean manufacturing.
Mark Adams, director of training providers, BPI Consultancy, said: “Empowerment through personal and professional development is key to our work and will fit into the objectives of the CORE Project perfectly.
"The CMI-recognised Empowering Employees to Peak Potential (E²2P²) courses in particular will put self-starters looking at establishing a new business on the road to success, complementing the additional business support available through the project.”
To find out more and book onto free business development workshops, you can search Wales Co-operative Centre on Eventbrite to find out more information.
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