Council says it ‘wants to help where it can’ at centre
CARMARTHENSHIRE Council has said it “wants to help where it can” as it continues to hold talks with a wellbeing centre in Carmarthen that is trying to clear debts and avoid closure.
The Nurture Centre in Cambrian Place is described as a lifeline to many and the public are being urged by its director to help save it from shutting.
The cost-of-living crisis has seen the centre battling to keep providing the resources the community needs.
While income from its café to help fund services was disastrously hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and over the past 12 months it ran up arrears in rent and business rates to Carmarthenshire Council.
In recent weeks, the director of the centre, Staci Doula Sylvan, launched a crowdfunding appeal to try and raise £17,000 needed to pay off the debt owed.
Speaking last week, she said: “We don’t need the full amount all at once as the county council is letting us do a payment plan and they have been doing all they can to help with several meetings held between us.”
The former elderly day centre is owned by Carmarthenshire Council and leased as a venue for several uses during the week - all under the umbrella of the not-for-profit Nurture Centre.
It serves as a home to services for families, elderly people and those needing mental and physical health support.
There is a community freezer and a food bank that provides meals and provisions for people struggling to feed their families and themselves.
Without going into the financial sensitivities around the situation, Carmarthenshire Council has confirmed it is trying to find a way for the Nurture Centre to continue.
The council’s cabinet member for resources, Cllr Alun Lenny, said: “The council wants to help where we can, particularly given the community benefits that arise from the services provided from the centre.
“It is not appropriate for us to comment at this stage on the detail of the discussions that are progressing with the director with a view to finding a solution that allows the centre to continue operating.”
The Nurture Centre’s Gofundme page can be found at www. gofundme.com/f/saveourcentre