What is the future of Treherbert’s Youth Centre? 

Black Mountains College invites you to a weekend of open doors, tours, and creative conversations.

Join us in Treherbert on 16 - 18 January to share your stories, memories and ideas for the future of a much-loved community building.

For generations, the Youth Centre on Dumfries Street has played a central role in Treherbert life - from its early days as a school, through its time as a youth centre and nursery. Now, Black Mountains College and Welcome to Our Woods are inviting the community to help imagine its next chapter.

In this Community Visioning Project we will explore with you how the building can be transformed into a community learning centre, creating a space for learning, training and community activity that supports local people, jobs and sustainability.

On Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of January we will open the doors to the building and give you the opportunity to share your memories of the building’s past and ideas for its future - including how local groups might use the space in the years to come. Your feedback will help guide future plans for the building and ensure the project reflects the community’s needs and ambitions.

Other ways to share your views and visions for the future

If you can’t make it or rather share your view in a different way, then you can complete this online survey.

What happens during the event

You will be guided on a short tour of the building to help surface memories and spark your imagination for future possibilities. There will also be interactive activities that you can take part in to give you a chance to share your views.

Alongside, we will be exhibiting a collection of portraits and a short film which capture the memories of community members that used the building in the past – by local photographer Gemma Dobbs and filmmaker Hugh Griffiths.

The tour and activities will take about 60 minutes. You are then welcome to join us for a cuppa and keep chatting in the warmth at the Old Library.

Tour Timings

To guarantee your place, please book a place on a tour by selecting a time slot. You can also show up on the day and we will do our best to fit you in - check the tour times below.

Friday Tour

• 14:00 - 15:15
  

Saturday Tours

• 10.30 - 11.45
• 12:00 - 13:15
• 13.45 - 15:00
• 15.15 - 16.30

Sunday Tours

• 10.30 - 11.45
• 12:00 - 13:15
• 13.45 - 15:00
• 15.15 - 16.30
  

Practical Info and Booking 

• We can only take groups of max 20 people into the building at a time. 
• To guarantee your place, please book a place on a tour by selecting a time slot. 
  • Or show up on the day and we will do our best to fit you in - check the tour times above
• This event is free.
• All ages are welcome, but youngsters under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

About the Project and Black Mountains College

Established in 2020, Black Mountains College has developed a wide-ranging curriculum that comprises short courses, vocational qualifications, and a degree programme in Sustainable Futures: Arts, Ecology, and System Change. With a strong ethos in collaboration, the College has partnerships with organisations including Cardiff Metropolitan University, Neath Port Talbot College, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, and Natural Resources Wales, as well as industry experts.

Since September 2023, the College has been delivering two qualifications as part of Project Skyline and in partnership with Welcome to Our Woods. Demand for courses in Treherbert is growing; students are predominantly coming from within the Rhondda Valley, with an increasing number of applicants from those in the wider valleys area and Cardiff.

The College has a lease on the building from RCT Council under a Community Asset Transfer process. Engaging with the community, we are committed to co-develop plans to retrofit the centre to create classrooms and workshop space. The vision for the new education centre is to provide accessible learning and training opportunities, particularly focused on sustainability, land skills and local job creation. The consultation is open until March 2026 and all feedback will be shared with architects, Down to Earth, as part of the next stage of project development.