Awards Made
For a summary of awards made in Wales, please click here
Recents Awards made
1st April 2009
Former mining communities’ £300,000 regeneration grants boost
People affected by the demise of the mining industry in Wales are enjoying a new lease of life, thanks to projects supported by an initiative revitalising their communities.
Almost 2,000 men and women in and around Merthyr with limited mobility are gaining new independence through battery powered scooters and wheelchairs loaned to them by Merthyr Tydfil Access Group.
And older Flintshire residents finding themselves isolated following the loss of community caused by the closure of Point of Ayr Colliery are making friends and improving their fitness with help from the local Bodyshapers group.
The organisations are among 38 receiving £315,412 worth of grants from the Bridging the Gap programme run by The Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT), which was established in 1999 to improve the quality of life for people in Britain’s former coalfield communities.
Other recipients of the latest batch of awards include a Blaenau Gwent church that doubles as a community centre offering socialising opportunities to more than 350 people.
CRT’s Operations Manager for Wales Siân Richards said:
“The Trust was set up to help tackle the problems faced by coalfield communities as a result of pit closures.
“These areas remain some of the most disadvantaged in Wales, but community based activities such as those we fund through the Bridging the Gap programme are helping to regenerate them and tackling important issues such as isolation, health inequalities and lack of services like childcare and transport - with relatively small investment.
“These groups are really doing amazing things and we are very happy to support them through this grant programme.”
Latest Bridging the Gap awards
Bodyshapers, Flintshire - £7,237
The Bodyshapers project, based in the small former coalfields ward of Ffynnongroyw, began as two separate groups that met once a week at the Gronant Family Centre and Bryn Garth Community Centre in PenyFfordd.
“Many of the residents in the two villages were connected with Point of Ayr Colliery, and when the pit closed, there was a loss of community,” said Bodyshapers Treasurer Sheila Blackwell.
“Many of the younger miners were able to find employment elsewhere, but the older ones did not. There are still wives and widows of those older miners in the area.”
The two groups eventually merged and started inviting anyone over the age of 50 to join its weekly activities, including fitness sessions, at the two community centres.
“We were running out of funds and that is when we applied to Coalfields Regeneration Trust for a grant,” said Mrs Blackwell. “The funding will allow us to pay for two televisions, Nintendo Wii games consoles and Wii Fit packs, other exercise equipment, refreshments, and the costs of a fitness instructor and halls rental.
“The aim of our project is to encourage elderly residents of some isolated areas of Flintshire to participate in the exercise classes - with a view to not only encouraging fitness, but also to promote social inclusion.
“We have no hesitation in saying a big thank you to CRT. Without their contribution, the Bodyshapers and the facilities we use would not exist.”
Smart Money Credit Union, Caerphilly - £8,867
People in some of Wales’s most deprived areas are saving money for the first time in their lives, thanks to the Smart Money Credit Union.
The credit union, covering Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent county boroughs – which have a joint population of around 170,000 - offers a convenient and secure place to save with access to low cost loans.
“The area has seen the closure of around 20 coal mines, together with the loss of steel making at Ebbw Vale,” said Manager Andrina Davies. “Anyone who lives or works here is eligible to join the credit union.”
Smart Money currently has more than 3,800 members, both adults and juniors, and has seen a steady increase in membership in recent years. It is particularly proud of its success with younger members.
“We’ve established a presence in 10 local primary schools where the pupils have set up their own junior saving accounts and are learning the basic facts of money management,” Andrina added.
The CRT grant is for the upgrading of IT equipment and will also pay for a new server and three desktop computers.
“We are very please to have received the support of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust,” said Andrina Davies. “The grant will help tremendously with our efforts to offer the people of Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent, which are located in the most deprived areas in Wales, the access to savings and low cost loans.
“Many of these people do not have access to the normal banking facilities and have saving for the first time in their lives.”
The Pontarddulais Partnership - £9,920
Since it was formed five years ago, the Pontarddulais Partnership - composed mainly of local volunteers – has made huge strides in helping to regenerate the town of around 6,500 residents.
“The closure of Graig Merthyr, Brynlliw and Morlais collieries - all within a three mile radius - badly affected employment prospects and the general wealth of the town, with many shops on the high street closing down and the town subsequently facing further economic decline,” said Partnership Chair John Evans.
The Partnership has worked with other local organisations and agencies on supporting a wide range of projects including:
- development of a Young People's Action Group, play initiatives in a local park and holiday playschemes
- establishment of the Friends of Llandeilo Talybont Old Churchyard - Ancient Monument site
- production of a local newsletter
- establishment of the flourishing monthly Pontarddulais Local Produce Market
- involvement in the Keep Wales Tidy Campaign through organising local litter picks
Its future plans include helping to develop a young people's drop in centre, identifying support to help with the revitalisation of the high street and take up of underused properties, and developing the cultural strength of the town - particularly in terms of its Welsh language tradition and building on its rich heritage.
The Partnership also aims to encourage people to become involved as volunteers, with the potential of using volunteering as a way back into training and skills development.
The CRT grant will help fund the post of a community development officer and the office running costs for a year. “Without the award, we would have no base from which to organise our efforts to regenerate the town, and we would have had to revert to volunteers meeting in private houses,” Mr Evans added.
“Our community office now acts as a focal point for organising and as a resource for information, with increasing numbers of people dropping in to chat about ideas, find out information and volunteer to get involved.”
Merthyr Tydfil Access Group - £5,000
The Shopmobility movement was founded in the 1970s, when disabled people had to rely on others to do their shopping and carry out their personal affairs for them.
The Merthyr Tydfil Access Group runs the local Shopmobility project, providing battery powered scooters, wheelchairs and manual wheelchairs to help people use facilities within the town centre and wider county borough, and to go on holidays.
“Merthyr Tydfil has a population of 55,500, with about eight per cent of the population registered disabled,” said Access Group Development Manager Garry Tippins.
“The Merthyr valley was world renowned for steel production and relied heavily on its coalmines for fuel to support the industry,” he added. “Merthyr suffered greatly from unemployment when the coal industry was destroyed - and much of the present invalidity can be traced back to industrial diseases resulting from that time.”
The scheme has 1,900 registered users, with 30% from outside the Merthyr Valley - proving the project attracts people into the area who would possibly otherwise not come. The CRT funding will contribute towards the salaries of the group’s assistant and development managers.
"We are indebted to CRT for their grant, which has helped cover some of our running costs and, in turn, enabled a very large number of people with mobility problems the opportunity to shop and enjoy the cultural, social, educational and commercial facilities within the county,” said Garry Tippins.
“Furthermore, the award has helped us to extend our facilities to operate in the Taff Bargoed Community Park, where people with mobility problems can enjoy the outdoor recreational facilities - and a programme recently organised by the local Angling Association to persuade young people with disabilities to take up angling at the recently formed lakes.
“Both of these projects encourage the independence and dignity of the user and help to eliminate social exclusion in the disabled community, while at the same time bringing income into the area.”
Fernhill Family Flats Tiny Tots Nursery, Mountain Ash - £10,000
Tiny Tots Nursery has been providing low cost quality care and education for children aged from six weeks to six years since 2004.
The organisation began as a parent and toddlers group run by volunteers. With the expansion of its facilities, the club was able to become a registered charity and now employs paid workers to supervise the children.
The CRT grant will provide six months’ funding for Officer in Charge Sharon Evans.
Sharon said: “We can take 20 children at one time. Most of them live here at the flats in Fern Hill and Glenboi, but we also have some from Aberaman and the wider Mountain Ash area.
“We were over the moon to receive the grant, as the credit crunch has meant us struggling over the past year. The award has been a godsend.”
St Brides Minor Memorial Hall and Institute, Bridgend - £9,952
The hall is the focal point of the community in Bryncoch, Bryncethin and is used by a number of local groups, including senior citizens, playgroup, Christian Fellowship, tae kwan do and cadets.
The CRT grant is for capital funding to allow the volunteers who run the hall to make improvements including disabled toilets, disabled access, new fire doors and replacement windows.
“There’s a step at the entrance to the building, which we want to convert into a ramp so that people in wheelchairs, the elderly and parents with toddlers can have easy access,” said Secretary and Treasurer Hazel Taylor.
“We’re very grateful to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust for the funding, which we could have struggled to find it we’d had to do it on our own.”
Ebenezer Baptist Church, Abertillery - £10,000
More than 350 people each week attend church-run and community activities at the large town centre premises.
“The chapel is a regular place of worship but as a church, we have a mission to offer its large ancilliary accommodation for use by the community,” said Church Secretary Keith Dykes.
The building is used by groups including St John’s Ambulance, the Ladies’ Orpheus Choir, Keep Fit Club, local pensioners’ group, youth club, playgroup and luncheon club.
It is also used for meetings by the local authority, Communities First Partnership, Age Concern and mums and tots, and hosts youth work and a weekly coffee bar. The CRT grant will be used to refurbish the church’s ladies and gents’ toilets.
“We are continually improving the facilities and have received CRT support in the past,” Mr Dykes added. “We are again grateful for CRT funding, which will enable us to carry out much needed improvements to the toilet facilities.”