A new community hub opened in Machynlleth last week, kicking off with an energy advice session and the first opportunity for people to collect ‘surplus’ food.

The Taj Mahal hub at 21 Heol Penrallt offers a range of information and services to help people, and will also help communities work together. This follows the success of its pilot opening as an eight day pop up community space as part of the Dyfodol Dyfi project in 2022.

The Taj Mahal is working with a team of local groups and organisations to provide support for everyone struggling with increases in the cost of living. There are also plans for a range of workshops and training sessions to be offered in the space.

Every Wednesday afternoon from 1 February to 29 March, Freya Pryce will be available to offer advice and information to help people reduce energy use and cost. Employed by ecodyfi and funded by Citizens Advice, Freya is the Energy Champion for the Dyfi Biosphere area, as part of the Big Energy Saving Network.

Arbed Bwyd Machynlleth Food Surplus is operating at the Taj Mahal as ‘Y Pantri’. This new voluntary group had been trying to find a suitable location for a ‘community fridge’ for some time. Y Pantri collects surplus food and makes it available to those who want it. They will also be working with Edible Mach to provide a range of cooking workshops.

Other groups who have already signed up to use the space include local radio station DX3 run by Stiwdio Dyfi and Eginiad who will be running health and well-being workshops.

The space is being facilitated through ecodyfi and has been made possible by funding from Bro Dyfi Community Renewables (BDCR) - covering its costs for the first few months of opening. BDCR is a community owned renewable energy company with two wind turbines near Machynlleth The space will offer information and signposting to the many services available locally including CAMAD, Advice Mid Wales, Machynlleth Food Bank and PAVO Community Connector, with plans to offer drop-ins for advice.

The project co-ordinator Sandra Bendelow said, “Thanks to the generosity of the owners of the shop - who wanted the space to be used through the winter by the community rather than being empty - we are thrilled the pop up shop can now become a fixture on the high street. The pop up was about celebrating community and creating a vision for the future of the Dyfi valley together, and we can now help to make this vision a reality in the next few months. It will be a place that people can gather, chat, share and find out about all the great services and activities that are being offered in the area to help and guide people through the winter.”

Sandra also said that ecodyfi is looking for individual volunteers to open and support the use of the space so that it can be open more often. “We are also open to offers to join an advisory group that can help with the co-management of the space, alongside the user groups and ecodyfi” she added.

If you are interested in volunteering for either of these or have any ideas for ways the space could be used then contact Sandra Bendelow on [email protected].