Staff at a venue used by acts including Manic Street Preachers have told UNISON they would be devastated if cost-cutting plans to close them go ahead.
Caerphilly County Borough Council is considering closing the Blackwood Miners’ Institute (pictured above) in Blackwood town centre and historic Llancaiach Fawr manor house in Nelson in a bid to save £45m over the next two years.
The local authority is also looking to axe its Meals Direct service which provides fresh food to the doors of more than 300 pensioners in Caerphilly including some who are blind and bedbound.
The Blackwood Miners’ Institute has played host to acts including Stereophonics, Coldplay, Snow Patrol and Manic Street Preachers who are originally from Blackwood and last played a gig at the venue in 2011.
The Grade II listed building is due to mark its centenary in 2025.
More than 10,000 people have now signed online petitions against plans to close the institute and Llancaiach Fawr (pictured below).
UNISON will be taking part in a march through the town on Saturday (7 September) to highlight threats to services in the region.
Ahead of the event a worker at Blackwood Miners’ Institute said: “Working here is truly a wonderful experience. Every day is different.
“We are at the heart of the community. It has been part of my life for so many years.
“Closure would be devastating to me.”
Another member of staff added: “Our venue brings in over 34,000 visitors every year into the area from all over the country. Closing would mean the loss of the team, the loss of the community we have built up and the loss of the work and quality performances that are brought there.
“It would become another empty shell on the Blackwood high street.”
An employee at Llancaiach Fawr said: “Millions of pounds have been spent over the years making this one of the best living history museums in the UK, and that is what we should continue to be.
“Closure would mean removing a warm space from the community at a time when bills will again be high.
“There is also a lack of resources for children in the area and the park and the facilities at Llancaiach Fawr are invaluable.”
UNISON Caerphilly County branch secretary Lianne Dallimore said: “Caerphilly Council is stripping the area of its tourism and culture in the name of saving money.
“Closing these venues would not only mean the loss of vital employment but also a key contributor to the local economy.
“UNISON will fight for everyone who relies on these important services and for all the staff who work to deliver them.”
- Caerphilly County Borough Council is proposing to close the Blackwood Miners’ Institute, Llancaiach Fawr and its Meals Direct service as part of measures to save £45m over the next two years.
- An online petition against the closure of the Blackwood Miners’ Institute is available here https://www.change.org/p/save-blackwood-miners-institute and has received more than 5,500 signatures.
- A similar petition against the closure of Llancaiach Fawr is available here https://www.change.org/p/save-llancaiach-fawr-manor-from-closure which has received 5,900 signatures. The living history museum is a Grade I listed building.
- UNISON is taking part in a march against the proposed closures along Blackwood High Street which starts at 11.30am on Saturday 7 September at Blackwood Library and ends at the Blackwood Miners Institute.
- UNISON is also holding demonstrations outside the Caerphilly council offices at Ty Penallta in Hengoed to coincide with the council’s joint scrutiny committee at 5pm on Tuesday 24 September and a meeting of the council’s cabinet at 1.30pm on Wednesday 25 September.
- UNISON is also opposing Caerphilly Council’s plans to close the Hive restaurant at Ty Penallta.
- Caerphilly Council has launched an online consultation on the closures which ends on Tuesday September 10.
- The consultation over the Blackwood Miners’ Institute and Llancaiach Fawr is available here: Consultation on the proposal to withdraw the subsidy and mothball Blackwood Miners’ Institute and to Mothball Llancaiach Fawr Manor from end of December 2024 | The Caerphilly Conversation.
- The consultation over plans to close the Meals Direct service is available here: Consultation on the Future of the Meals Direct Service | The Caerphilly Conversation.
- Click here for the consultation on the future of the Hive restaurant at Ty Penallta: Consultation on the future of the Hive at Penallta House (office.com).
