A new collaborative working space for local artists is being created in the Valleys

Anthony Lewis – Local democracy reporter

A new collaborative working space for local artists is being created at a Valleys library.

Plans are being developed for a co-lab space at Treorchy Library as part of the ongoing development of the Treorchy Cultural Hub between Treorchy
Library and the Park and Dare Theatre.

In July, 2025, the council received funding of more than £95,000 from the Welsh Government’s Priorities for Culture Capital Grant towards the project.

This followed a Park and Dare Theatre-focused snap survey in March, 2025, which identified a need for a collaborative working space.

More consultation events were held at Treorchy Library with local artists including performers, poets, writers and visual artists to confirm the need for a co-lab space and to design it with artists.

The work involved includes redesigning an existing large local history/ reference section at Treorchy Library into two distinct rooms, with one to be the co-lab space available to the local artistic community as a place of work, research, inspiration and expression as well as a venue for cultural activities and events.

The project also involves the refit the redesigned local history/reference section to allow easier and greater access to local history materials to inspire and create new artistic and cultural narratives and challenge existing ideas and impressions of the upper Rhondda Valleys.

The newly created co-lab space will include an amenities area and will be designed in a way that is conducive to creative endeavour based on suggestions given by local artists during consultations, a council report said.

IT services will be provided with up-to-date software along with paper, envelopes, pens and pencils.

The local history information desk has been re-designed to include document and materials storage, including storage for microfilm and relocated within the new local history/reference space.

Wi-Fi will be available and charging points will be installed in both the co-lab and local history/reference spaces.

The report said it was expected that a reduced local history service would be available from the beginning of February to the end of March, 2026, whilst works were carried out.

The report said the co-lab space was expected to increase use of the library’s services, Treorchy Library, and local history materials by
the local artistic community, lead to greater opportunities for collaborative working with the Park and Dare Theatre, increase learning and creative opportunities for people of all ages at the cultural hub, provide greater visibility of and access to local history materials, raise knowledge and profile for local history collections and the items that they contain and raise awareness of the library and theatre as a cultural hub.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s strategic culture and arts steering group, Councillor Danny Grehan described the project as “exciting” and said it was so important that this project had come from the local artistic community and that the needs of the local community and local artists were driving the project.

He mentioned artists being a central part of any development so if problems arose they were part of the process of overcoming them.

He also said that developing access to local history was an important part as well adding it was a very interesting project.

Councillor Jayne Brencher said it was a “much needed development” because there were so many fantastic stories to tell about the history, culture and community of Treorchy.

She asked if there were any links with Treorchy Comprehensive School and other local schools

Cllr Brencher said that because the library and theatre were steps away it was the perfect venue and was also accessible by train.

She said the details of this were “excellent” and that it was “absolutely fantastic.”

A council officer said they had an E-Teens library in Treorchy Library and a large number of teenagers who uses that area went to local schools and they were involved in the planning.

He said they were very much in the planning stages of how they were going to use the space as they didn’t want to be prescriptive about it.