A hall at the centre of its local community is hosting a fundraising concert to improve its accessibility.
Bedwas Workmen’s Hall is volunteer-run, and used by a number of local groups and classes, and will be fundraising on Saturday May 6 for Red Ray’s Lift Appeal.
The main hall and theatre are upstairs at the Workmen’s Hall. Without a lift, the centre does not comply with the 2005 Disability Act equality legislation as some members of the community are unable to access the facilities.
The appeal was named in honour of the late, long-serving Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen councillor, Ray Davies, as a cause very close to his heart which he fought hard for.
Cllr Davies was an active member of the Workmen’s Hall Committee, and the concert will coincide with two years since his death on May 7 2015.
So far, the efforts of the Hall’s volunteers have raised £28,000 towards the estimated £80,000 cost of a two-storey lift.
Having been built in 1923 and funded by penny-a-week donations from local miners, the Hall’s lift installation will form part of a phased, but much-needed, £1.5 million improvement scheme which includes building repairs and essential facilities such as disabled toilets.
The commemorative concert kicks off at 7.30pm on Saturday May 6, and will feature performances from both Caerphilly Male Voice Choir, and the campaigning socialist choir, Côr Cochion, both of which Cllr Davies was a member of.
Tickets cost £10 and are available on the door, in advance from the Caerphilly Visitor Centre, or online from ticketsource.co.uk/bwh.
For more information, visit: www.bedwasworkmenshall.co.uk.