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One of Wales' iconic buildings, the old Welsh Hills Works site in Porth, has been taken over by a charity who will be launching it as The Factory later this month.

"The aim of the project will be to develop the building as a creative hub for enterprising young people who are involved, or would like to break into industries such as digital media, and live and recorded music," said a spokesperson for , which will be formally launching the facility on Sunday 24 July.

The building, the former site of Corona Pop, was taken over in 2000 by the Avanti Group, who launched The Pop Factory with Tom Jones, Stereophonics and Cerys Matthews as guests. The Factory will continue to house Avanti's production facilities and TV studios.

The Welsh Assembly First Minister, Carwyn Jones, will launch Valleys Kids' new initiative, revealing the new logo for The Factory, in an afternoon gala launch, which will showcase the creative talents of young people from Valleys Kids ArtWorks. The event will launch Art Of Dignity, an exhibition of Welsh and African inspired art, featuring the Mzansi Cymru Choir, celebrating the multi-cultural creative links between Valleys and South African communities. The launch coincides with the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad open weekend celebrations as part of The Power of the Flame supported by the Legacy Trust UK.

Richard Morgan, one of Valleys Kids founder members said: "We are facing a challenging future as a charity, committed to supporting children and families in the Valleys. The Pop Factory is a unique facility enabling Valleys Kids to explore its entrepreneurial spirit and will help us to sustain our provision in these communities.

"We are committed to changing the lives and outlooks of young people by offering them experiences and skills in the creative industries and this iconic building is a perfect venue, ideally placed to help us deliver this."