YOU wait ages for one to turn up and then two come along at once... however in this case it wasn’t buses arriving but ministers from the Welsh government.

The event was the opening of the new library space at Knighton Community Centre, which itself has recently undergone a refurbishment.

The opening last Thursday (February 15) was carried out by culture and tourism minister Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas.

Also in attendance was the Welsh government education minister Kirsty Williams and a host of other VIPs, including Powys Council leader Rosemarie Harris, Powys cabinet member for libraries Rachel Powell and Knighton mayor Bob Andrews.

The library space has been created as part of a complete overhaul of the community centre, which has been paid for partly by local fundraising efforts, cash from Powys County Council and a near £500,000 grant from the Welsh Government’s Community Facilities Programme. The aim of the five-year project was to bring together a range of social, health, leisure and cultural activities under one roof to “improve people’s wellbeing”.

Lord Elis-Thomas was welcomed to the library by Karen Plant, the chair of the Knighton and District Community Centre Management Committee. In declaring the site open, Lord Elis-Thomas said: “I’m pleased to officially open Knighton library in an enhanced community hub. Libraries are important for local communities, and innovative partnership working, and shared facilities such as this hub, are one way to ensure that services are still available for local people, particularly in rural areas.

“Co-location can bring benefits for all the services on one site and I hope this new facility will attract more people from the area to come and explore the library and benefit from all that it offers.

“I’m delighted that the Welsh Government is able to support libraries and that the Transformation Fund has helped Knighton library to create a vibrant and modern community literary hub.”

After his address Lord Elis-Thomas enjoyed listening to the Llanfair Singers – an amateur choir of about 50 members and then had a tour of the building with Ms Williams.

Cllr Powell said: “We know that Powys residents value the library service and feel it provides a central point for positive socialisation in local communities. When we consulted Knighton library users in 2016 about options to make savings, they were really supportive of a move to the community centre. As such, I’m delighted that this has come to fruition and I hope more residents make use of the excellent resource it provides. Our libraries offer various clubs, free access to computers, family history resources, advice, information, and, of course, lots of great books.”

Ms Plant said: “We had a vision of how and what a community hub should offer to residents and although it’s been a long haul to get to this point, we are open for business and have a full programme of events and activities for all to enjoy.”

Kirsty Williams and Lord Elis-Thomas then moved on to CARAD Arts Centre in Rhayader where the Minister met staff and volunteers and saw for himself the outstanding cultural and arts activities that have taken place there over its 26 years of operation, and discussed the centre’s plans for the future.

This ministerial visit followed on from a recent visit to the centre with Kirsty by Welsh Arts Council Chair, Phil George.

Summing up the two visits, Ms Williams said: “It was a special pleasure to welcome Lord Elis-Thomas to both of these key Mid Wales towns. He has a lifelong, deep interest in the arts and culture and the role it can play in maintaining the vitality and quality of life of communities in rural Wales. I am sure he was deeply impressed with the way the people of the districts of both Knighton and Rhayader have worked together to use culture and the arts as a means of sustaining and regenerating their communities, as well as improving their quality of life.”

Welsh Liberal Democrat county councillor Kelvyn Curry, who joined the two ministers at CARAD, said: “I am of course delighted that Kirsty and Lord Elis-Thomas came to visit CARAD, which has been directly involved in so many community initiatives and events in Rhayader and district over many years. It has encouraged people of all ages and abilities to take part in a wide range of artistic activities and its work with children and young people has been especially valuable.

“CARAD is an integral and vital part of the community and local economy here and it is so good to see Welsh Ministers taking such an interest in its work.”