23 April 2004
National Organisation Relocates Headquarters to Aberystwyth

A major national organisation is moving its headquarters out of Cardiff and into Ceredigion, to create an all-Wales centre of excellence for child and parent services.

Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin will be moving to Boulevard St Brieuc in Aberystwyth, where building work on the new national headquarters is now underway.

MYM is the foremost organisation in Wales for Welsh-medium early years education. During their 30 years of operation, Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin have overseen an 800% increase in registered Cylchoedd Meithrin. They have also supported the establishment of hundreds of Welsh-medium Cylchoedd Ti a Fi (parent-toddler groups) and nurseries throughout the country.

A cutting edge Integrated Childcare and Training Centre is now taking shape on the brownfield site on Boulevard St Brieuc, a strategic route-to-work location. The Centre is supported by the European Objective 1 funding programme, as a project with real potential to positively affect the local economy. The Welsh Assembly Government recognises quality childcare provision as an essential tool to increasing economic activity and improving learning and skills. Assembly Member and Cabinet Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, Jane Davidson, braved a blustery morning in February to show her support for the project at the official groundbreaking.

The centre will create 40 jobs and provide 100 much-needed childcare places. It will also be a centre of excellence in training childcare providers, teachers and parents. “The extensive range of training that will be available here is unprecedented in this region,” said Hywel Jones, CEO of Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin. “And a central feature of this facility is that it will be entirely bilingual. It is essential that these top-class services are available to both local and national users through the medium of Welsh.”

Ceredigion County Council and the Welsh Development Agency, both financial supporters of the project, welcome the decision by MYM’s national executive to relocate to Aberystwyth. It will provide a strategic focal point for MYM’s all-Wales activities, and the move raises the profile of Ceredigion as an environment where national organisations can flourish.

“Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin’s move to Aberystwyth is a significant vote of confidence for Ceredigion,” says Cllr Ray Quant, Ceredigion County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Tourism and Training. “This organisation provides an essential and world-class service in childcare and related training. This provision will boost our local economy through enabling more people to enter the workforce. The Council’s Economic Development team was very much involved in driving this project forward from the beginning, and we are all thrilled to soon be welcoming MYM to the County.”