Taibach Community Education: Past to Present

Taibach Community Education Centre is a thriving community centre in Port Talbot, Wales. Originally called Eastern School, the centre has provided education to the local community since the early 1830s. Famous alumni of Eastern School include the Hollywood film star Richard Burton and the Labour politician Lord Heycock. The school closed in the 1960s and the building became a community centre run by the local council, specialising in adult education courses. In 2015, the centre was taken over by Community Ventures Port Talbot CIC (CVPT), who continue to serve the local community. The building is very important within the town and many people have memories and connections with it.

Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we have renovated the old school hall and stage, making it a welcoming and usable space for local groups that need a large space or want to follow in Richard Burton's footsteps and put on performances. We have also restored the old pottery room and we will be using it to run a series of heritage craft courses, ensuring that vital skills are preserved for future generations. We are also developing an interactive timeline of the building and a heritage trail where visitors can trace the history of the centre and Port Talbot. The trail is based on oral history interviews, archive research, and contributions from the local community on our open days.

To learn more about our project, visit www.ptcommunityventures.co.uk/taibach-heritage-project

For more information on The National Lottery Heritage Fund, see heritagefund.org.uk