A new community shop and café has opened in Rogiet, restoring
services the village had been without and creating a welcoming
space for people of all ages.
The project has been made possible through £300,000 from the
Welsh Government's Community Facilities Programme, alongside
support from the National Lottery Community Fund. Built on
community-owned land in the centre of the village, the
development has been led by local volunteers who set out to
tackle loneliness and strengthen community ties.
Rogiet lost its shop in 2014, and the new building bring it back,
offering affordable, locally-sourced produce, as well as a café
serving meals and takeaways six days a week, a teaching kitchen
running cooking classes, and a community garden where people can
learn gardening skills and grow food for the café. The facility
is run by the general manager and the chef with support from the
trustees and around 40 volunteers.
Katherine Close, RCJ Trustee, said: "We are so
grateful for the investment and support that we have received
from the Welsh Government's Community Facilities Programme. The
need for this project has been evident in the village for a long
time and after many years of dreaming and planning we are so
pleased to now be open for our community.
“We are a community-powered project, created to be a welcoming,
inclusive and sustainable hub of good food and connection in our
local area. Without this kind of investment, we wouldn't have
been able to do it. Thank you from the whole team at Rogiet
Community Junction."
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, , visited the site this
week to meet trustees and volunteers. She said: "The project
brings back a shop and a café and provides a place where people
can learn new skills, meet their neighbours and feel part of
village life again. Having these services available locally will
make a real difference every day, particularly for older
residents and for families who rely on community facilities. This
is exactly the kind of community-led initiative we are proud to
support through the Community Facilities Programme."
The Community Facilities Programme is now open for new
applications, offering smaller grants of up to £25,000 and larger
grants of up to £300,000. Since 2015, it has supported almost 500
projects across Wales with more than £70 million of investment.
