Acorn and Sacyr UK, the consortium building the new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC), has launched a new, free online community platform to provide a wealth of resources, collaboration and opportunities.
The platform, which is accessible to all and offers services to anyone who is aged 14 and over, was officially launched by Julie Morgan MS, the Senedd member for Cardiff North – where the new Velindre Cancer Centre is being built – at an event in the Pierhead Building, Cardiff Bay.
Sacyr UK, the contractor building the nVCC wanted to create a platform which made social value and working with the south Wales community more collaborative. It also wanted to easily help connect businesses with volunteer opportunities.
The platform has since mushroomed into a space where people can build a CV and access job boards. It offers online science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) tutorials for secondary school age children, allows local people to get access to a Tool Library and video lessons on how to use the tools they borrow, as well as connecting philanthropic businesses with charities who are in need.
Charity associates, local councillors, voluntary organisations, and supply chain partners gathered at the launch for a demonstration of the platform from its developers, Prospect Digital. It is the first of its kind that Prospect Digital has developed.
Julie Morgan MS praised Sacyr UK for its work in the community around the nVCC so far, as well as on “creating this unique community platform”.
She said:
“I have been very impressed so far with how Sacyr UK is working with the community, creating jobs and apprenticeships, and to date teaching more than 2000 local school children about the importance of STEM.
“The community platform is another way that the community can further benefit from the development of the new Velindre Cancer Centre. I’m so excited to hear about how people are making the most of the platform and gaining new skills and opportunities from it.”
Whitchurch councillor Marc Palmer said the platform looked great and will benefit many in his community.
He said:
“It’s great to see community engagement in support of the project really kicking in at this stage of the project. The development is already providing more benefits to the local community than the building alone and this new platform will move it further in that direction.
“The tool library is going to be particularly useful to local residents. If you don’t have a tool for a job, then you can go along to the project site and borrow one as well as getting a how-to guide along with it. I might even borrow something for a job I need doing, so I can see that being really useful to the community.”
Fellow Whitchurch councillor Kate Carr added:
“This is a major project improving cancer treatment facilities – what’s important about the new community platform is that it extends beyond treatment to prevention of ill health through offering access to decent jobs, green initiatives and a wide range of community benefits improving well-being in our local area. It feels like this is what the nVCC team is working towards and we are very supportive of that.”
Liz Boyce, CEO of City Hospice, the palliative care provider for Cardiff, is not only a charity partner of the current Velindre Cancer Centre but is also a neighbour to the new site.
She said the platform would be great for third sector organisations and would offer many opportunities in the coming years.
“It’s lovely to see a platform that has an emphasis and focus on the community, I can see us using this to promote our own volunteering opportunities and to look out for key people who perhaps would like to support us in the future by suggesting how they could benefit City Hospice.
“I think what’s lovely about this platform is that it is open to so many and holds so many benefits for the individual as well as charitable organisations, and it looks like quite an easy set up. People can just jump on the platform and try it out.”
Alejandro Mendoza Monfort, Operations Director at Sacyr UK, said at the launch:
“This type of platform is unique to the construction industry and at its core is innovation and collaboration.
“It’s key for us at Sacyr UK with any project we work on that we leave a legacy not only in the shape of a building, but also in the engagement we have with the community nearby.”
Alejandro added:
“We are looking forward to seeing many people using the platform so we can improve it as it is used. We also hope to use it as a prototype that we would be able to roll out on other projects.”
The hospital is due to be completed by spring of 2027 and is set to be one of the most sustainable hospitals in the UK.
The new hospital will provide patients and carers with high-quality and sustainable cancer services, delivering the most effective treatments while also leading national and international education, research, and innovation in cancer patient care. The treatment centre will improve specialist cancer services for over 1.7 million people, and future generations in Wales.
For more information about the new Velindre Cancer Centre project, visit its dedicated website.
To access the Acorn community platform, visit here.
