Cwmbran-based youth project Randomz has won the Outstanding Project Promoting Entrepreneurship Award at this year’s Youth Work Excellence Awards.

Randomz is a Skills, Education, Training and Enterprise Academy run by The Cwmbran Centre for Young People which helps young people gain employment or create their own enterprise business.

Until recently, the youth work organisation housed a workshop for the upcycling of furniture and textiles, a recording studio, a business administration training suite, a print and design studio, a sport and healthy living academy, an area for alternative education provision, as well as various social enterprises founded by local young people.

Earlier this year the entire building was burned to the ground, destroying everything Randomz owned.

Randomz is now being re-homed temporarily at the Cwmbran Centre for Young People, having remarkably only closed for one day after the fire. This tremendous feat of determination and commitment minimised the disruption to the young people who benefit from its services.

The value placed on Randomz by the local community – and further afield – is evident in the help offered to re-establish a permanent home for the organisation. Over 150 organisations in Wales, the UK and even worldwide have pledged their support.

Working with 60 to 80 young people every week, Randomz is a hugely valued local resource that has benefitted hundreds of young people in Torfaen.

Leigh Rowland, Chief Executive Officer at Cwmbran Centre for Young People, said: “We are ecstatic that we have been recognised for something that we have been working towards for so long. Even after all the challenges we have faced this year, nothing has stopped us. I’m so proud to lead a team that has so much potential and will only progress onwards and upwards.”

At the same event they were given the Gold Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales, the only organisation in Wales across all sectors to achieve this standard.