The John Burns Foundation HQ has officially opened its doors, after the charity moved to a new flagship building following the completion of a construction phase.
To mark its opening, the new site was visited by Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price and Helen Mary Jones, minister for Mid and West Wales, who received a tour of the building and met with John Burns employees.
The new premises will serve commercial purposes as well as providing a central hub for staff and stakeholders.
The John Burns Foundation is the charity set up by Burns Pet Nutrition, a global pet food company operating in Carmarthenshire Wales.
The natural pet food manufacturer employs over 100 staff and donates 25% of profits to the charity in order to fund their projects that enhance the lives of disadvantaged people, by offering practical recreational facilities and life skill opportunities.
Charity founder John Burns said: “It is great to welcome Plaid’s Adam Price and Helen Mary Jones to Canolfan John Burns.
“We are very proud of the centre and excited for a sustainable future ahead helping people locally and pan-UK. Burns Pet Nutrition has traditionally supported The John Burns Foundation which now needs to become sustainable in its own right.”
He added: “Having these premises will help us to create the environment for this to happen and we hope the premises will also benefit the local communities with much-needed facilities and services.”
Charity manager Melanie Jones said: “This wonderful building, along with the surrounding 20 acres provides us with the perfect space to deliver our many projects, and to develop new schemes.
“The aim is also to use this top spec space to generate an income to support the work of the charity. We are extremely grateful to Burns Pet Nutrition for providing us with this state-of-the art facility.”
She added: “The building itself houses office space, meeting rooms and large conference and function spaces that can sit up to 100 people. The rooms have the newest technology and audio-visual equipment as well as being fully accessible.”
