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Are you a fan of the Derwen College? I am.
Message from Elund at The Derwen College, Gobowen.
AGNES HUNT VILLAGE PROJECT - A NEW LOOK FOR A NEW GENERATION
A major new fundraising appeal is being launched by Derwen College to create an ambitious housing complex for young adults with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).
The college aims to provide fully accessible houses for students at Derwen College to help develop independent living skills which will prepare them for life after college. The plan is to modernise and adapt the properties in The Agnes Hunt Village - a complex of 28 bungalows based on the edge of Derwen College campus in Gobowen.
The fundraising target is ú1million and the plans are to create fully accessible homes with en-suite bathrooms, open plan living areas, enhanced security features and introduce eco-technology to create houses that are as energy efficient as possible.
Agnes Hunt Village is a unique and cherished part of the Derwen College campus. Created in the 1950s thanks to a huge fundraising drive, the complex of 28 bungalows was built for people with disabilities. Work began on the village in 1952 and was completed in 1955 thanks to a very successful fundraising appeal which raised ú78,000 (ú2million in todayÆs money). The first residents moved into the village in 1955 and quickly made the Agnes Hunt Village their home.
After nearly 70 years of constant use, staff at Derwen College believe the bungalows need to evolve further to keep pace with the changing needs of young people with SEND.
College Principal Meryl Green said: ôWe want to create houses that will provide amazing learning environments for our students for the next 70 years. The Agnes Hunt Village is a fantastic resource for the college and hundreds of students have benefitted immensely from living there over the past decades. We want to continue that trailblazing spirit of the 1950s when the Agnes Hunt Village was built, and provide cutting-edge houses that all our students can access to learn, grow and become more independent.ö
We need your helpà
The college is appealing for help to reach its ambitious ú1million target and would like anyone who lived in the Agnes Hunt Village to get in touch to share their stories and help with fundraising.
An official Appeal Launch will be held at Derwen College on Friday, November 7th to hear more about the plans for the future and how people can get involved with the project. There will also be the chance to hear stories and view pictures from the Derwen College archives, which stretch back over 90 years since the college was first established in 1927.
Derwen College Fundraiser, Anna Evans said: ôIt is amazing to think that the Agnes Hunt Village was built thanks to a huge fundraising drive, thanks mainly to the generosity of the local community. Over ú78,000 was raised to create a housing project in memory of Dame Agnes Hunt, who had done so much for people with disability in her lifetime.
ôThe Agnes Hunt Village has definitely stood the test of time, and has enabled so many people to live independent lives. We need the communityÆs help again to modernise the bungalows and make sure they serve people with disability for another 70 years.ö
Read more about the Agnes Hunt Village Project at www.agneshuntappeal.co.uk and on our online appeal brochure at https://issuu.com/derwencollege/docs/e_version_-agnes_hunt_village_project
For more information to attend the Appeal Launch please contact Anna Evans on 01691 661234 or email anna.evans@derwen.ac.uk
