CAERPHILLY legend Katherine Hughes won the UK-wide Community and Charity category in the 2021 National Lottery Awards for her volunteer efforts over the years.

Ms Hughes, 72, has been a volunteer and the Secretary of Caerphilly Miners' Centre for the Community (The Miners) and is credited with being a driving force behind behind saving the historic local landmark.

She helped to establish Caerphilly Miners’ Centre group in 2008, shortly after she overcame treatment for cancer.

The former miners’ hospital in Caerphilly was scheduled for demolition 15 years ago, but Ms Hughes used her background of working as a town planner and community development consultant to rally the community to take it over.

After a 99-year lease on the building was secured and with the support of £250,000 from The National Lottery, the building was refurbished and reopened in 2015.

The building is now a hub for the community that hosts language, art, fitness, knitting, computer and dance classes, as well as buddy schemes and other social activities for all ages.

Ms Hughes is still heavily involved with the centre as the secretary and as a volunteer and worked to keep people engaged during the pandemic, such as seeing older members to show them how to use Zoom so they could keep in touch.  

She beat around 1,500 other nominees for the award that was presented to her at Caerphilly Miners Centre by musician, author, and broadcaster Cerys Matthews.

Ms Hughes said: "I’m absolutely gobsmacked and thrilled to have won the award.

"The National Lottery’s support has played a vital role in getting the centre up and running and I’m delighted to receive this recognition.

"I’m so proud of how far we’ve come and the community we’ve built here.

"I would like to dedicate this award to all the other volunteers and people in the community who have worked tirelessly to save the building and who continue to make this the special place that it is today.” 

Ms Hughes was given the award because of all she achieved with National Lottery funding.

Ms Matthews said: "I’m thrilled to present Katherine with a National Lottery Award for her unwavering voluntary efforts over the years. 

"She is a shining light, a remarkable community champion as one of the driving forces behind saving this historic local landmark for future generations.

"I’m sure people in Caerphilly are immensely proud of her monumental efforts.

"But I’d also like to say thank you to everyone who plays the National Lottery: You make projects like the Caerphilly Miners' Centre possible - and your support now is more crucial than ever."

Along with the award, Ms Hughes received a £3,000 cash prize for Caerphilly Miners Centre.

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The chair of The National Lottery Community Fund, Blondel Cluff, also attended the presentation.

She said: "This award is very well-deserved - Katherine’s drive to save this historic building and transform it into a vibrant space for her local community is truly inspirational.

"It is humbling that there are thousands of dedicated volunteers, like Katherine, doing extraordinary things with National Lottery funding and supporting their communities to prosper and thrive across the UK.

"The ultimate in recycling!"