– The Ganu Melincwrt Community Hall
Annual report year ended 1[st] July 2025
The Ganu is a small community building in Melincourt, in the Neath Valley. It has been in existence for approximately 130 years originally as a school room and stopping off point for community members walking to and from chapel in Resolven from their homes in Melincourt and Clyne. Fifty years ago it was gifted to the pensioners of the local community for their use, subsequently trustees of the building changed the constitution to widen potential participation. However investment in the building was minimal and the current trustees are putting in place a phased project plan, initially for essential legal, H&S and maintenance/structural work to make the building safe and sound. Subsequent phases of the project aim to make the building sustainable for the long-term future and provide a hub for the community.
Our constitution states the aim of the trustees is “to promote for the benefit of the inhabitants of Melincourt and surrounding areas, the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of the said inhabitants.”
It is our intention once the building has been improved to increase its use. We will achieve this by engaging with the local community to identify what people want in terms of usage. We will then work with other community groups and/or individuals to extend the range of activities available.
The first year has been focussed on making the building safe and sound with an ongoing project plan to improve the building and increase usage. Phase One of the project plan has been defined and specific – to ensure:
i) the legal basis of the trust and the hall are secure for the future ii) to make the building safe and secure, and future proof it.
With the help of grant funding the trustees set up a charity to manage the building and started the process of changes and in the first year they:
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Installed a new boiler
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Had the electrics checked, improved and signed off as safe
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Had the legal work done to set up the trust as a charity
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Had the septic tank emptied and inspected
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Installed a fire alarm, clear fire exit signage and a safe fire exit
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Installed a new ramp to make access safer for all
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Had defective mortar removed from the outside walls and the walls then re-rendered
The trustees now look forward to building on this start in the forthcoming years with a community consultation being a central part of the plans to help define the future direction and secure ongoing and long-term sustainability.
The Ganu – Melincwrt Community Hall, Lletty Dafydd, Melincourt, Neath, SA11 4AR
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