Station now helping people embark on their jobs journey

A train station is now home to a community hub designed to help job seekers and tenants get on the right track.

The hub, based in a vacant room at Llandudno station, is being organised by Transport for Wales (TfW) and the Welsh Government.

The one-stop-shop is being managed by housing association Cartrefi Conwy and its not-for-profit subsidiary, Creating Enterprise. It is supported by more than £100,000 of funding from the Welsh Government through Transport for Wales, and Avanti West Coast.

From the station, they run a job café and job search support, a Ready for Employment training programme, advice on work placements and volunteering, and skills building sessions.

It is also host to the Conwy Valley Community Rail Partnership, extending their reach to Anglesey and accessing more communities in Wales.

The new hub was officially opened by Lesley Griffiths, Welsh Government minister for rural affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd.

The minister said: “This innovative project at Llandudno station is part of our ambitious programme of work to improve our transport network in North Wales and is also a boost for the town centre.

“The aim is to bring back to life unused spaces at railway stations for the benefit of local people so they can continue to play an important role at the heart of the community. The station is right in the middle of Llandudno and this will also help with encouraging people to use our town centres”

The scheme was among the first of its kind in TfW’s Station Improvement Project and is also benefitting from Avanti West Coast’s Station Community Fund.

TfW’s head of community rail, Hugh Evans, said: “The new community hub at Llandudno station is the forerunner of a raft of other initiatives which will make a real difference in the Welsh communities we serve.

“The initiative also promotes the important agenda enshrined in the Well-being of Future Generations (2015) Act and the railway is the perfect vehicle to support community projects like this.

“Another major benefit is that by working with organisations like Cartrefi Conwy and Creating Enterprise we are also making our stations safer and more welcoming places.”

Joanna Buckley, community manager at Avanti West Coast added: “We want to connect people and places to opportunity, and we hope that the new hub in Llandudno will make a real positive impact for all those who use it. The initiative is more relevant than ever, given the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and how it is effecting communities and passengers along our route.” 

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