New arts building is here to help
PONTYPRIDD’S YMCA building is set to reopen its doors in the new year following a multi-million-pound refurbishment.
The building will become a new centre for culture, creativity and the arts and will be renamed the YMa.
A complete renovation of the building, which dates back to 1910, has been ongoing for years.
Initially plans were approved by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council in 2016 to transform the building into a stateof-the-art culture and community hub.
However, because of changes to funding and the economic climate, those behind the YMCA announced their plans would have to change.
In 2018, it was said the plans became “significantly more compact than previously approved”.
But over the last year or so, Artis Community Cymuned has been hosting community conversation events online to give the local community an opportunity to share their ideas on how the building should be used.
During these chats, ideas were formed around a new name to fully represent the new nature of the building in the town centre.
They settled on Yma, which means ‘here’ in Welsh and is also similar to its previous four-letter monicker.
Jen Angharad, chief executive of Artis Community Cymuned, said: “When considering a name for the centre, we invited the local community and other key stakeholders to consider potential names for the redeveloped building.
“The most popular choice was YMa: Man Creu Meithrin Celf | Place for Creativity Culture Arts’, as it acknowledges the term ‘YM’ often used by local people in reference to the Pontypridd YMCA before it closed.
“With the addition of a smaller ‘a’ it becomes YMa (or ‘here’ in Welsh), giving the building a bilingual identity and establishing its place ‘here’ in the community.
“The branding for the new identity has been produced by Kutchibok Design and we’re delighted to be unveiling it today (Friday).”
Artis Community Cymuned plans to move into its new home before the end of the year, with its first full season starting in January.
There are also opportunities for people to get involved now with two new volunteering programmes, and there is also a chance for young people to take over the building for a whole day when it opens.
Jen Angharad continued: “As the new name suggests, this building is here for everyone and we want as many people to get involved as we can.
“So, we’ve created a new ambassadors scheme for anyone who wants to come and take part and learn new skills at the same time.
“We launched Creative Ambassadors earlier this year and it has been wonderful to see so many people sign up, learning key skills in things like producing, marketing and arts management.
“We’ve been particularly excited about our Young People’s Creative Ambassadors, run in partnership with YEPS (Youth Engagement and Participation Service), who we’ve asked to do a takeover of the building for a day in our first full season next spring.
“They have so many ideas around how young people can engage with the building, and we can’t wait to share that takeover day with the rest of the community.”
Artis Community Cymuned is also looking for volunteers to help out once the building opens, with benefits including special offers on events and classes in the building.
The organisation is also calling on local businesses to get in touch about a number of partnership and sponsorship opportunities.
Artis Community Cymuned is continuing to offer a reduced programme of activity this autumn, and the first full season is expected to start in January 2022.