A training project launched by Lovell is giving 16- to 25-year-olds in the St Mellons area of Cardiff the chance to learn construction skills, by helping turn a storeroom at a local community centre into a new art and craft facility.

Staff from Lovell are working with a group of young people to transform a storage area at the St Mellons Community Education Centre in Crickhowell Road into a room that can be used for activities such as painting and ceramics.

Lovell is funding the cost of the building and decorating materials needed for the conversion. Through the Centre's youth club, the company is also involving a group of local young people who are getting the opportunity to try different construction trades including plastering, painting and decorating and plumbing under the instruction of experienced craftspeople from Lovell and the company's approved subcontractors.

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"We have been involved at St Mellons for the past six years working with the local community and Cardiff Council on the successful regeneration of the area," said Lovell Resident Liaison Officer Gemma Davies.

Lovell is coming to the end of this major estate renewal scheme which has included internal and external refurbishment work to existing properties as well as the development of new homes.

Cardiff Council Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Freda Salway, said: "The young people at St Mellons Community Education Centre have very much enjoyed working closely with Lovell on this project. It has given them a real boost and provided them with the opportunity to work with a number of experts on a range of trades, giving them an invaluable taster of a new skill and even a career path they might wish to pursue in the future.

"It's wonderful to see young people making a difference in their local community. The new facility will be a real benefit for the wider community."

The young people are being closely supervised by the Lovell team as they help with the conversion of the storeroom. The work includes plasterboarding of the walls, the installation of new ceiling tiles and soundproofing insulation, sinks and flooring. In addition, the room is undergoing a complete redecoration. The introduction to the construction industry also includes supervised tours of some of the work being undertaken by Lovell at St Mellons and at the nearby Trowbridge estate, where the company is building new shops, homes and a community centre.

(CD/JM)