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Artis Community Cymuned, Pontypridd YMCA, Arts Council of Wales and Rhondda Cynon Taf are delighted to announce that YMa, the new home of Artis Community Cymuned and tenants is opening! The much anticipated redevelopment has been completed! We are thrilled to invite you to join us at YMa on the 5th of June 2023, at 11.00 AM, to explore the brand new space, and to celebrate our opening! We can’t wait to welcome the local community in to make the most of our high-speed wifi, Lolfa, and our fantastic creative spaces & meeting rooms (which are available for hire!) Despite our excitement that the building can now be brought to life, we’ve been informed that an issue with the main lift will not be fixed in time for opening. If this means that you are unable to access the building at the present time, please reach out to us, we’ll keep you updated on when we expect the lift to be up and running, and provide you with a tour of the building. There are some accessible spaces such as the beautiful Moondance Studio and the Lolfa area to be enjoyed. The building contractors are working to rectify this issue as soon as possible. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the community of Pontypridd for your patience and understanding during the construction of YMa. Your unwavering support and enthusiasm has been invaluable throughout this journey. We are thrilled to finally invite you into the building and share with you the incredible things happening within its walls. YMa is set to make a significant difference to the town and the community as a whole by facilitating a number of key community projects close to the hearts of peope in Pontypridd. We are so excited for you to discover the new experiences, events, and opportunities that await you and to contribute your own ideas for the future of YMa. We can’t wait to embark on this journey of creativity, community and growth together. Thank you for joining us on this promising adventure! We’d like to thank the Arts Council of Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, Welsh Government, Moondance Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation for investing in this ambitious redevelopment and National Lottery Community Fund for kickstarting our programme of activities.
Artis Community are delighted to announce that Samantha Jones has been appointed as our new Company Manager! Samantha has played an integral part in the organisation. With a background in community support and community arts, she has been supporting Artis as Acting Company Manager and previously Executive Assistant since joining in 2018. Within her independent practice, Samantha is a quilt maker with an interest in Welsh quilt heritage and has worked with Museum of Wales and Wales in Venice. Jen Angharad, CEO said: “We are thrilled that Samantha will be continuing her employment with Artis as Company Manager. We are experiencing exciting and challenging change as we prepare to transfer from a small office base into our new home in YMa: Man Creu Meithrin Celf | Place for Culture Creativity Arts and with Samantha’s personal qualities, leadership skills and professional experience, we’re confident that the organisation can achieve this transition smoothly and build a fabulous future in what will be an incredible community space in the centre of Pontypridd!” Samantha herself commented: “I am delighted to take up the role of Company Manager at Artis Community. I am very proud of what Artis has achieved, delivering arts experiences to the community across RCT and Merthyr, and maintaining a connection with the community throughout the pandemic. Now, with the imminent move into YMa – Man Creu Meithrin Celf | Place for Culture Creativity Arts, I am excited about leading the team into the next chapter.” Croeso and best of luck Samantha from all at Artis Community Cymuned!
