A NURSERY in Blaenavon has begun work on a major renovation of one of their sites with the help of a grant from the town council.

Busy Bees Day Nursery and Kids’ Club have applied for a Rural Development Fund from the Welsh Government to help renovate their Park Street site.

A grant of £3,000 from Blaenavon town council allowed Busy Bees to apply for match funding of £48,000 from Welsh Government’s Rural Development Fund to upgrade its facilities.

Work has already started on renovating the kitchen, and the grant will also allow upgrades for the bathroom areas, an upgraded heating system, and the creation of an upstairs space for extra staff toilets, laundry and storage, as well as a child-size disabled toilet access cubicle and the purchase of a minibus.

Sue Driscoll, group manager and senior play leader at Busy Bees, said: “It’s a really exciting time. The upgrades will really benefit the children.

“The funding will also allow the provision of new staff facilities. We used to have mainly part-time staff, but the staff here are now working longer hours. They need a place where they can relax and eat their lunch away from the children.

“The building is a lovely heritage building but it does need that little bit of help to keep it up.

“We have already started work on the kitchen. As far as we can we would like to use local tradesmen and we would like to extend our thanks to those who have already helped us.

“We have always had great support from Blaenavon Town Council, and we would like to thank them for their generous contribution to our match funding.”

The Park Street site, which was built in 1874, is a community hub and is also home to Blaenavon’s scouts, beavers, cubs and guides, as well as the Blaenavon Male Voice Choir.

The former Weslyan Chapel Day School site is one of Busy Bees’ sites, with another service being provided at a pre-school and after school club at Blaenavon Heritage Primary School.

In total, about 120 children use the services across the two sites, aged up to 11 years old.

Blaenavon Town Mayor Cllr Gareth Davies visited the Nursery and Kids’ Club to meet staff and children at the Park Street site.

He said: “The Council is very proud of Busy Bees’ achievements in the almost 30 years since they began.

“We’re more than happy to support a fantastic facility that is making life easier and more enjoyable for the families of the town.”