HAHAV Ceredigion celebrates Plas Antaron refurbishment

Hospice at home charity HAHAV Ceredigion has officially celebrated its return to Plas Antaron.

The Penparcau-based Living Well Centre has undergone phase one of refurbishment and hosted an official opening on Friday. Invited guests included Elin Jones MS, Ceredigion Council Leader Cllr Bryan Davies and HAHAV Ceredigion honorary president Dr Alan Axford.

Refurbishment funding came from the National Lottery, Welsh Government, the Moondance Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation and UK SPF. This phase cost around £800,000, and after eight months of hard work Plas Antaron is ready for use.

Officially opening the centre, Chair of trustees Gwerfyl Pierce Jones said: “I would like to thank all the funders who made this work possible and allowed us to renovate the building to be a purposeful centre to suit the needs of people across Ceredigion suffering from serious life limiting conditions.

“While noting our gratitude, it is important to emphasise that HAHAV receives no regular core funding towards running the charity. We rely on donations and fundraising activities as well as profits from our shop in Pier Street and warehouse in Llanbadarn, both of which are going from strength to strength.

“However, demand on our services is increasing, and as the only county in Wales with no dedicated hospice service, we need to ensure this service continues to be available free of charge for those who need it.

“While much of our focus so far has been on offering home services, our hope is, starting this autumn, we will also offer a dedicated day hospice respite service and the new centre will offer a warm welcome to clients and volunteers alike.”

Another HAHAV service in great demand is bereavement support.

Following the loss of his life-long partner of 46 years, harpist Robin Huw Bowen was grateful for the support offered.

“Losing Pat left a huge void in my life,” he said.

“We shared so much during our life together; suddenly I was very alone, and also in shock. HAHAV’s grief counselling offered me the opportunity to talk about my loss and discuss my grief, helping me understand what was going on in my heart and head, enabling me to move forward into this new life, which I hadn’t asked for or expected, and was very unprepared for. I am extremely grateful for this specialist support, and I wish HAHAV every success as it embarks on this new chapter.”

The refurbishment of the new centre has been led by local architectural designer Stuart Ball, with LEB Construction undertaking the building works. 

Stuart said: “Much of the work focused on opening up enclosed spaces, bringing in more daylight wherever possible and improving circulation, while respecting and enhancing the character of the original house.

“It’s been a fascinating project to work on because Plas Antaron had already changed so much over time, from a private house originally and then as a hotel, with many alterations and additions along the way.

“People have said they find the building welcoming, restful and easier to navigate, which is exactly what we hoped to achieve.”

For more information visit www.hahav.org.uk