AVOW Statement About Plas Madoc

AVOW as the County Voluntary Council for Wrexham had the Welsh Government funding contract for the Communities First programme in Plas Madoc transferred on 1^st July 2011.

The transfer of the funding along with other resources has ensured that a wide range of services continue to be provided for the residents in Plas Madoc. The management and governance of the Plas Madoc work is integrated within AVOW which has enabled an extended staff team to be available for support. The AVOW trustees are the accountable body to Welsh Government and other funders to ensure the public funding is managed and used appropriately.

Since the transfer, AVOW has ensured that the many services for younger children provided through Little Sunflowers has remained open. The services available are not only for the children and young people but also for other family members. The wrap around service caters for Pre School and older children.

The Venue is open for young people in the evenings with a very varied programme of activities. The play provision operates at a variety of sites on the estate providing informal play opportunities during the evening and weekends.

An exciting development for the children and young people is the commencement of their new Adventure Play facility, with contractors on site from Monday. This new project has been funded by WREN from Landfill Tax Credits.

The staff in Plas Madoc are engaging with the residents and a new venture is Tea and Toast on a Monday morning which is proving popular with a wide age range of people attending. This is an informal gathering for residents to come and talk with each other and staff.

The Job Centre Reach for Work programme is based in the Opportunity Centre and is helping unemployed people back into work. AVOW has been working with TESCO to support the recruitment of local people into the new job opportunities that are being created in their new store in Cefn. The TESCO recruitment team are now based in the opportunity centre.

The AVOW team are looking for local residents to volunteer in a number of the activities that are being run and would welcome anyone popping in to see how they could help.

John Gallanders Chief Officer for AVOW said’ " This is an exciting time for the residents of Plas Madoc as more opportunities are being created for them to join in with their own community events. The recent Little Sunflowers 5^th Birthday attracted over 170 children and their families and the Halloween event was attended by over 100. There is always a cup of tea available for any local residents to pop in to find out how they can become involved"