Community plan for ex-boilerhouse

The Boilerhouse in Penrhys has been empty for many years

A concert will raise funds to help residents of a hilltop community transform an empty former boilerhouse.

The building in Penrhys, Rhondda, has been empty for many years but local people want to raise £10,000 to buy it.

Activities proposed for the site include a boxing ring and training gym, restaurant, youth club and education centre for unemployed people.

Fundraising events start with a concert on Saturday while organisers also hope to secure donations and public grants.

The old community centre in Penrhys was forced to close in 2006 after asbestos was found.

We used to socialise at the gym but since it's closed down...we just wave to each other now in cars Ivor Williams, chair of Penrhys Boilerhouse Committee

Penrhys resident Ivor Williams, chair of Penrhys Boilerhouse Committee, said he hoped the boilerhouse could provide more facilities for older children.

"I'm hoping to get all the stuff that was in the community centre there," he said.

"I'm hoping to get a youth club up there, boxing up there, a gym, cafe, a place for people to do something in the nights.

"We all used to see each other and we used to socialise at the gym but since it's closed down, and the boxing, we just wave to each other now in cars."

Penrhys, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, was once the largest social housing scheme in Wales.

Social problems blighted the area in the 1970s and 80s and Penrhys acquired a poor reputation as many tenants looked to move elsewhere.

But efforts have been made to improve life on the estate and about 1,000 people live in 300 remaining homes.

More inventive

Committee member Ray Joseph, of record label Rhondda Records which also helps organise community projects, said he wanted local people to raise as much money as possible.

"We can do it the easy way and stick a hand out but we want to prove that people can do this and achieve and be responsible," he said.

"I really hope the committee come up with as much as they can as well as applying for public funding."

Mr Joseph said he believed the building could cater for the needs of the whole community.

"If we had 10 rooms, there's no reason we couldn't have 30 activities," he said. "I'm pinning our hopes on changing what a building is and what it can be."

He said one idea was to grow food inside the building using hydroponics, a method of growing plants without soil, and sell the produce in the restaurant.

"The idea is to be a bit more inventive and entrepreneurial," he added.

• The fundraising concert takes place at Bar Inc in Pontypridd on Saturday starting at 1930 BST. Pay at the door.