Pontypridd YMCA building to get a new name and become a place for Culture, Creativity and the Arts
Jamie Rees • 27 October 2021
Due to open its doors later next year, following a multi-million-pound refurbishment, Pontypridd YMCA will become a new centre for culture, creativity and the arts and will be called YMa.
Over the last year or so, Artis Community Cymuned, who will manage the running of the building, have been hosting ‘Community Conversations’ events online to give the local community an opportunity to share their ideas on how the building should be used. During these conversations, ideas were formed around a new name to fully represent the new nature of the building in the heart of Pontypridd.
YMa, which means ‘here’ in Welsh, proved to be the overwhelming favourite. Jen Angharad, Chief Executive of Artis Community Cymuned explains: “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.”
Artis Community Cymuned plan to move into their new home before the end of the year. There are also opportunities for people to get involved now with 2 new volunteering programmes and an opportunity for young people to take over the building for a whole weekend when it opens.
“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, who we’ve asked to do a Take Over 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 Take Over 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, for more info on partnership please visit www.ymaonline.wales/sponsorship.
Artis Community Cymuned is continuing to offer a reduced programme of activity this autumn. Classes are taking place online, outdoors as part of the Artis Outdoors programme and in other locations across Rhondda Cynon Taff, with the first full season expected to start in January 2021. To keep up to date with Artis Community Cymuned’s programme of work please visit www.artiscommunity.org.uk/projects.
You can also follow the development of the building, as the countdown to opening begins in earnest, on the new website– www.ymaonline.wales and www.ymaarlein.cymru for the Welsh language site. New social media pages are also available in English and Welsh on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ymaonline and @ymaarlein respectively.
Anyone wanting to find out more about the Creative Ambassadors scheme should visit www.artiscommunity.co.uk/projects/creativeambassadors. For more information on Artis Community’s work in the community please visit www.artiscommunity.org.uk.
Artis Community Cymuned, Pontypridd YMCA, Arts Council of Wales and Rhondda Cynon Taf are delighted to announce that YMa, the new home of Artis Community Cymuned and tenants is opening! The much anticipated redevelopment has been completed! We are thrilled to invite you to join us at YMa on the 5th of June 2023, at 11.00 AM, to explore the brand new space, and to celebrate our opening! We can’t wait to welcome the local community in to make the most of our high-speed wifi, Lolfa, and our fantastic creative spaces & meeting rooms (which are available for hire!) Despite our excitement that the building can now be brought to life, we’ve been informed that an issue with the main lift will not be fixed in time for opening. If this means that you are unable to access the building at the present time, please reach out to us, we’ll keep you updated on when we expect the lift to be up and running, and provide you with a tour of the building. There are some accessible spaces such as the beautiful Moondance Studio and the Lolfa area to be enjoyed. The building contractors are working to rectify this issue as soon as possible. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the community of Pontypridd for your patience and understanding during the construction of YMa. Your unwavering support and enthusiasm has been invaluable throughout this journey. We are thrilled to finally invite you into the building and share with you the incredible things happening within its walls. YMa is set to make a significant difference to the town and the community as a whole by facilitating a number of key community projects close to the hearts of peope in Pontypridd. We are so excited for you to discover the new experiences, events, and opportunities that await you and to contribute your own ideas for the future of YMa. We can’t wait to embark on this journey of creativity, community and growth together. Thank you for joining us on this promising adventure! We’d like to thank the Arts Council of Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, Welsh Government, Moondance Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation for investing in this ambitious redevelopment and National Lottery Community Fund for kickstarting our programme of activities.
Artis Community Cymuned, Pontypridd YMCA, Arts Council of Wales and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council are delighted to announce that YMa: Man Creu Meithrin Celf | Place for Culture Creativity Arts – the former Pontypridd YMCA building - is entering the final phase of construction. Building contractors Knox & Wells Ltd, have now installed a bespoke elevator sourced from a specialist manufacturer, ensuring access to the five different levels of the building for visitors and inhabitants. This exciting final phase also includes cutting edge equipment installed for high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the building, providing a fully accessible place for social, creative, educational, and training opportunities with and for people of all ages. In early 2023 we will welcome the first permanent residents in YMa. We are pleased to announce that Careers Wales will take up office on the lower level, this addition will allow direct access to this service straight off Taff Street. Careers Wales will be joined by an array of other long-term co-inhabitants, regular and occasional room hirers, who are excited to make YMa their home. These local organisations and individuals will be housed in offices, meeting room facilities, workshop spaces, including a beautiful Studio Theatre, the much-loved Shelley Hall and a Nursery facility with an outdoor roof terrace. Work to redevelop one of Pontypridd’s most historic buildings has been made possible through financial support from Arts Council of Wales, RCT Council, Welsh Government, Moondance Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation. We are also extremely grateful to everyone who plays the National Lottery, having recently secured a Community Fund People & Places grant to kickstart a five-year programme of activity within the building. “YMa (Welsh for Here) is here for everyone. So please get in touch if you’d like to get involved.” – Jên Angharad (Artis Community Cymuned CEO) YMa – www.ymaonline.wales Twitter - @YMaArlein Instagram - @YMaArlein Facebook – www.facebook.com/YMaArlein
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