Representatives from Abergavenny Town Council visited The Melville Arts Centre last Tuesday to see the improvements being made to the community arts venue and hear more about its plans for the future.

Cllr Philip Bowyer, Cllr Maurice Barnes, Cllr David Simock and Principal Officer Sandra Rosser were welcomed by Stuart Bawler andNicky Hassett who gave them a tour of the facilities and explained how grant funding from Abergavenny Town Council has contributed towards improvements at the Centre.

The visit provided an opportunity to see work to improve the accessible entrance route, helping to make the venue more welcoming and accessible, as well as the clearing and preparation of rooms to create additional space for community courses, activities and creative opportunities.

Councillors were also shown the Centre’s new toilet facilities and heard more about how the building continues to develop as a flexible and welcoming space for the local community.

The Melville Centre for the Arts provides a home for a wide range of arts and community activities, bringing people together through performances, classes, groups and creative opportunities.

The visit finished with a stop at the Centre’s cafe, which is open to the public every Tuesday and serves teas, coffees and homemade cakes – which the visiting Town Council representatives were very happy to sample!

Abergavenny Town Council was pleased to see first-hand the progress being made at The Melville and how the Council’s grant funding has contributed towards the Centre’s wider programme of improvements, supporting its work to make the facilities more accessible and create opportunities for more people to use and enjoy the space.

A big thank you to Stuart, Nicky and everyone at The Melville Arts Centre for the warm welcome and for taking the time to show us around, we can’t wait to come back.