A WELSH Government Minister and former Aberystwyth town councillor has officially opened the new Penparcau Community Centre in place of the late Carl Sargeant.

On Monday, Alun Davies AM, the Welsh Government Cabinet secretary for local government and public services, unveiled a plaque at the new community centre in Penparcau, which has been named The Hub.

Both Mr Davies and Penparcau Community Forum trustee Dylan Jones used their speeches to pay tribute to Carl Sargeant, the former Cabinet secretary for communities and children.

Mr Sargeant was due to open the centre but was found dead at his Flintshire home on 7 November having reportedly taken his own life after he was controversially suspended due to unspecified allegations of misconduct.

Mr Jones said: “Welcome to Penparcau Hub on this very important occasion in the history of the village and the immediate area. In particular, a warm welcome to Alun Davies, who has agreed to formally open this facility today.

"It would be neglectful of me, however, not to mention how saddened we were to hear about the passing of Carl Sargeant. We’d very much been looking forward to receiving him today.”

Mr Davies, who studied at the University of Wales Aberystwyth, added: “Carl always spoke about the importance of community, of bringing people and the community together.

“He had a very powerful sense of purpose and of the future. Carl was absolutely committed to that. He was constantly driven by a sense of community and social justice.”

Mr Jones used the rest of his speech to thank a host of people and organisations, and heralded the completion of the centre as “our Everest” after the Forum rose from the ashes of the Welsh Government’s ill-fated programme to tackle poverty, Communities First.

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online now