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The charity behind efforts to restore Cefn Fforest Miners’ Institute has been awarded £92,700 in National Lottery funding.

Cefn Fforest Miners’ Welfare Hall achieved charity status in 2020 and is run by nine trustees along with numerous volunteers.

It was founded following a BBC documentary looking at life in the village, which highlighted the fact that this once proud community resource, funded by contributions from miners in the 1920s, had recently been left empty and in a poor state of repair.

The charity will use the money towards the first phase of refurbishment – opening up the old function room for community activities and social events.

This will help raise funds to refurbish the rest of the building and demonstrate to funders that there is a need for the building in the village.

Ron Stoat, chair of trustees and a former miner, said: “This building was originally paid for out of the wages of miners and provided many educational and social resources; from a library and reading room, to sports clubs, functions and day trips for locals. We hope that we can live up to the aspirations of the miners who built it originally.”

Trustee Ian Thomas added: “Thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to bring this building, which was once the pride of the village, back into public use.

“This is important because, once open, we can provide facilities for the community which will help improve the wellbeing of people in the village and become a focal point which has been missing for many years.”

About the Institute

The Institute opened its doors to the public in 1932 for the benefit of the community, providing facilities for self-education, social welfare and recreation. Paid for out of miners’ wages, it was one of many institutes that served the then-thriving coal industry in the South Wales valleys.

In 1988 it became the club house for Cefn Fforest RFC but has now been closed for seven years.

Since the demise of the coal industry there are now only 48 out of 200 miners institute buildings left in the whole of Wales.

The charity was set up in 2020 and has been working ever since to bring the building back into public use.