ISLAND GAMES
‘PROJECT WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE’
FOLLOWING a major refurbishment, the community centre at RAF Valley has been re-opened in a launch ceremony held at the station.
The facility – housed in buildings dating from World War Two – serves the station’s families and wider community and has been subject to extensive upgrading and modernisation.
The community centre houses a parents and toddlers group, thrift shop, youth clubs, and uniformed youth organisations. The centre also hosts the station’s Airplay project, a successful and popular programme funded by the RAF Benevolent Fund which provides safe, supported play and activity for the over-8s. The Benevolent Fund also made a significant financial contribution to the refurbishment project.
The station’s community development officer, Dean Clarke, said: “The completion of the community enhancement project is going to make a massive difference to the families and personnel stationed here.
“The facilities are looking fantastic and already people have asked me if this is actually the same building.
“With funding from the RAF Community Enhancement Fund and generous donations from the RAF Benevolent Fund we now have facilities that are future proofed to meet the needs of the service community here.
“This has been a real team effort from contractors, community support staff, station infrastructure staff and the various groups, committees and participants all working together”
Station Commander, Group Captain Nick Tucker-Lowe, added: “I am delighted to be able to open the newly refurbished community centre.
“We rely on the support of our families and the RAF Valley community to be able to fulfil RAF Valley’s pivotal role in UK Defence. Our families deserve the best facilities that we can provide, and we now have a superb centre to serve them and the wider RAF Valley community.
“I’d like to thank all the contractors that have done such a great job on the buildings, and all those who will now work in them to help support our families and community.”