Tredegar House Laundry Project Wins RICS Award

The renovated laundry building at Tredegar House

We’re thrilled to announce that our Laundry project at Tredegar House has won an RICS (Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors) Social Impact Award in Wales.

The awards celebrate the built environment's role in transforming Welsh communities and the everyday lives of people. Our Laundry project has won the Leisure award for providing locals with the opportunity to enjoy their historic environment with socially useful purposes.

Rhiannon Gamble, general manager of Tredegar House, said: “This project was the result of the hard work of staff, volunteers and members of the public, and we’re extremely proud to have now won an RICS Social Impact Award in Wales. Diolch yn fawr and congratulations to everyone involved!”

RICS Wales head judge, Geraint Evans, added: “Bringing the Laundry Building at Tredegar House back into use is a major feat, considering its almost ruinous prior state. The vast social benefits for the local community at this major historic visitor attraction is the thing that really stands out and provides locals with the opportunity to enjoy their historic environment with socially useful purposes.”

The old laundry building at Tredegar House was derelict before the project began
The old laundry building at Tredegar House was derelict before the project began
The old laundry building at Tredegar House was derelict before the project began

The building was transformed into a space for local organisations to deliver formal and informal training, and inspire learning, social engagement and wellbeing in the Duffryn community. The new laundry building now has an accessible training kitchen, training room and social area, along with three new office spaces.

The new training kitchen in the laundry building
The new training kitchen in the laundry building
The new training kitchen in the laundry building

The gardens outside of the laundry building were also restored thanks to the support of the BIG Lottery Create Your Space programme. They now include a tranquillity garden for relaxation and contemplation, scented plants for those with visual impairment and raised flower beds to make it easier for wheelchair users to enjoy the benefit of being outdoors and cultivating plants.

Since it opened in April 2019, the laundry building has been used by local organisations such as Duffryn Community Link and Growing Space, to help deliver training and engage the community in a different way of learning. These organisations work together to deliver training on topics including RHS qualifications, independent living courses, healthy cooking sessions and Welsh language lessons.