Ruthin Extra Care Housing Scheme Wins National Building Excellence Award
The success of Grŵp Cynefin’s extra care housing scheme has been recognised nationally at the Welsh Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards 2025.
An ambitious project to refurbish and expand the Llys Awelon extra care housing scheme in Ruthin won a Wales-wide award, receiving high praise for its outstanding standards. This award reflects innovative design, commitment to quality, consideration for the environment and people, and the true spirit of collaboration at the heart of the project.
The £12.2 million transformation scheme offers modern homes for older people who want to live independently within a caring and vibrant community. Llys Awelon has now expanded from 21 to 56 contemporary apartments, combining independence with on-site care and support.
It also reflects the successful partnership and collaboration between Grŵp Cynefin, the builders, Read Construction, Denbighshire County Council, Welsh Government, and others.
Mel Evans, Chief Executive of Grŵp Cynefin, said:
“We are delighted that this development is now complete and even more excited that tenants have settled so happily into their new homes.
“Receiving such recognition through this LABC Wales award is a real privilege and reflects the hard work and commitment of everyone involved. There were complex considerations, as demolition and construction work had to take place on a site that had tenants and staff living there day to day.
“I would like to sincerely thank those tenants and staff, I’d like to welcome the new tenants and of course congratulate everyone who contributed to winning this award. Best wishes as we now move forward to the UK-wide awards.”
The three-year project was partly funded by £7.1 million from Welsh Government and supported by Denbighshire County Council.
Alex Read, Director of Read Construction, said: “Read are proud to have played a key role in delivering this award-winning scheme. Working on a live, occupied site demanded tight coordination and disciplined site management, and our site team and supply chain rose to the challenge. This award is a testament to true collaboration to create a modern, sustainable development that meets the needs of the community.”
Councillor Rhys Thomas, Lead Member for Housing and Communities at Denbighshire County Council, said: “We’re really proud to be a part of this partnership that has been recognised for this outstanding extra care housing scheme, providing a lovely modern community to support independent living for elderly residents.”
“One of our top priorities is caring for the needs of our older population. Working in partnership with Grŵp Cynefin enabled us to achieve the goal of creating a modern, comfortable, and welcoming building for a community of local residents and it’s fantastic this has been acknowledged on a national scale.”
As the Wales winner, Llys Awelon will compete for a UK-wide award at the LABC ceremony in London on 23 January 2026.
Grŵp Cynefin, which owns and manages Llys Awelon, is a housing association that builds and creates homes while supporting tenants and customers in their communities. The company owns and manages more than 5,000 homes with over 10,000 tenants, operating across six counties in north Wales and Powys.
Anyone interested in learning more about how to apply for a flat at Llys Awelon should contact Grŵp Cynefin on post@grwpcynefin.org or 0300 111 212 and there is more information about Llys Awelon and Grwp Cynefin’s other Extra Care Housing Schemes here Extra care housing – Grŵp Cynefin