The Welfare Ystradgynlais has been awarded £40,000 from the Arts Council of Wales to help develop plans for the future of the historic building.

The funding comes through the Arts Capital Investment Fund and will allow The Welfare to appoint a specialist design team and work with the community on more detailed proposals for the building.

The Welfare has been at the centre of life in Ystradgynlais for more than 90 years. Its roots are in the miners’ welfare movement, when miners contributed ‘pennies’ from their wages to create places for education, recreation, entertainment, culture and the arts.

Ystradgynlais Miners’ Welfare Hall officially opened on July 7, 1934, having been built at a cost of £9,000 – almost £1 million in today’s terms. The opening was attended by prominent figures from the South Wales mining movement, including Jim Griffiths, chairman of The Welfare and president of the South Wales Miners’ Federation.

The original vision was to create a “centre from which will radiate fellowship that will enrich the community.”

That role has continued through the decades. The building has hosted performances, films, dances, meetings, classes and community events, while also providing space for local clubs and organisations.

The Welfare was also involved in the community’s welcome to refugee artist Josef Herman, who lived and worked in Ystradgynlais shortly after the Second World War. His connection with the town continues through the Josef Herman Art Foundation Cymru, which houses an archive of his work donated by his widow, Nini Herman.

During the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike, The Welfare became a food parcel distribution centre for local mining families. It also received fundraising support from Lesbians and Gay Men Support the Miners, the group whose story inspired the film and musical Pride.

Today, The Welfare remains one of the few independently run miners’ welfare halls in Wales still operating for the cultural, educational and community purposes for which it was established.

Around 45,000 people visit each year. In 2025-26, The Welfare hosted 45 community groups, 58 live productions, more than 100 film screenings and 30 live broadcast screenings. It also held 269 participatory events, including dance, musical theatre and creative arts, as well as private celebrations.

The building is used throughout the day and evening for classes, community organisations, creative activities and room hire. While its roots are firmly in Ystradgynlais and the surrounding valleys, audiences travel from across South Wales and beyond.

The latest funding comes 35 years after The Welfare’s last capital investment.

The £40,000 will support work to consider how the building can become more accessible, welcoming and fit for the future while protecting its history, character and community purpose.

Wynne Roberts, Executive Director of The Welfare Ystradgynlais, said: “The Welfare has always belonged to its community. It was built through the contributions of local miners because they believed people here deserved access to culture, education, recreation and somewhere to come together. More than 90 years later, that community purpose is still at the heart of everything we do.”