Over the last 18 months we’ve undertaken a lot of work on Warwick House, which we’ve now become rather crammed into. Currently we don’t have a room big enough to hold staff or Trustee meetings in.  We’ve also had to invest a lot of time and a reasonable amount of money in fire safety improvements, to meet modern British Standards for workplace safety. Projected future maintenance costs and the estimates we have from Renew Wales for improvements to insulation and energy efficiency have led us to undertake a review of the future of Warwick House. 

We have considered sale and rental options and even considered the future of permanent home working for office-based staff. Our conclusions are that having a good space for the organisation to meet in, and all come together to work in is vital for the team culture, morale and our creativity. So many ideas and updates are shared on the stairs, in the kitchen, and in informal chat.

We also need a low cost, low resource building that is energy efficient.  Goal 3 in our new strategy is to reach net zero by 2030 and to show leadership in sustainable living. 

We’ve looked around for alternative accommodation and have been pleased with the options out there. The intention is to remain in Llandrindod – our base should be in the vice-County town and where the greatest concentration of population is.   

We’ve concluded that selling Warwick House is the most sensible option. It removes the high ongoing maintenance and repair costs.  The current plan is to invest any income in a managed (investment) fund; interest gained can be used to cover the costs of a rented office. This would secure the retention of the majority of the capital – there will be costs in moving and reconfiguring an office – for future. 

Renting a property gives us some flexibility in these uncertain times.  We’re reluctant to purchase a new, larger, more open office, just yet.  Rental spaces come with a certain amount of built in maintenance and care, especially advantageous to us and our small team when it comes to cleaning and health and safety. My aim, as CEO, is to create the conditions for success which means keeping the team free to do what they are best at and what best delivers our charitable objectives and strategy. 

Warwick House has served us well over the years and was a very kind gift to RWT. But we must prepare for the future and adapt to the current challenges we face. The building may well be on the market by the time you read this, but we wanted to make sure that a formal and detailed update was provided for our supporters. This has been a big decision and marks the beginning of a new chapter for RWT. 

There will also be updates in the newsletter and we will confirm any new HQ well ahead of a move. Our objective will be to ensure that disruption to usual services is kept to a minimum. 

- James Hitchcock, Chief Executive Officer