Our Communities Together hands out £1m and relaunches appeal

Earlier this year, Newsquest Wales launched our inaugural Our Communities Together appeal in partnership with Community Foundation Wales. 

We asked readers, businesses and organisations to donate to a fund that would award grants to grassroots charities across Wales supporting the most vulnerable in their communities through the cost of living crisis. 

Now we can reveal that more than £1 million has been given out in grants to groups right across the country - and today we are re-launching the appeal and asking you to help us help more people.

Richard Williams, chief executive of Community Foundation Wales, said: “The organisations we have supported with funding are working hard to alleviate situations of crisis and hardship amongst the most vulnerable in their local communities."

“Through our partnership with Newsquest, the generosity of our donors including the Welsh Government and Natwest and the backing of our funding partners, Steve Morgan Foundation, Waterloo Foundation and Moondance Foundation, we have managed to create a space where communities can come together to support the charities who are helping people through the cost of living crisis."

But he added: “There are more difficult months to come, and we want to be able to help as many people across Wales as we can, so we are once again calling on individuals and businesses who passionately believe in the value of local community to support the appeal with a donation.”

The Bevan Foundation's recent poverty snapshot survey found more than one in seven households across Wales were struggling to afford essentials, while a quarter reported skipping meals due to mounting bills. Many have been pushed into debt, with a worrying 29 per cent borrowing and 13 per cent pushed into arrears on their bills.

The pinch of the crisis is being felt across many groups, with the elderly, the disabled and young families among the most impacted. Almost half of people on Universal Credit have cut down on meals to help with their finances.

Our Communities Together is a cost of living crisis appeal (Image: Newsquest)

Gavin Thompson, regional editor for Wales at Newsquest, said: “When we launched this appeal we had no idea we would be able to hand out more than £1 million to community groups across Wales. I am so grateful to all those who have supported it, from individual donors to businesses and the Welsh Government.

“This money will make a difference to many people struggling this winter. But we also realise there’s more to do, especially as some government support falls away, and that’s why we are reopening the appeal today.

"If individuals, businesses, or organisations can give what they can, we’ll make sure that money helps people in real need in the months ahead.”

If you would like to donate or apply for funding, you can do so here.

The Our Communities Together appeal has resulted in 79 community groups right across Wales being awarded grants of up to £5,000 a year, with those who were awarded more given multi-year funding.

Types of projects funded

A range of projects were funded. Each successful group had to demonstrate how they were meeting the needs of those who needed it most in their community, as a direct result of the rising cost of living. In broad terms, some of the more common types of projects were:

• Food parcel delivery/food bank/community pantry service;

• Community allotment/growing project/produce-to-plate project;

• Community centre/hub providing food and/or warm hub space;

• Baby bank provision;

• Budgeting/money advice/benefits advice;

• Recycling/upcycling/repair café service;

• Out-of-school childcare provision in areas where parents were particularly hard hit.

Our Communities Together grant recipients

The full list of organisations who were awarded the grants is:

• Creations of Cymru Film and Media (Trading as Cymru Creations);

• Benefit Advice Shop;

• Milford Youth Matters;

• Hope St Mellons;

• Bro Ddyfi Advice Centre;

• Age Cymru Powys;

• Llangollen Food Share;

• Morfa Family Centre;

• Butetown Community Association;

• Raven House Trust Ltd;

• Community Volunteers Wales;

• BWG Swansea CAP (Christians Against Poverty);

• Dant Y Llew CIC;

• Splice Child and Family Project Ltd;

• Afon Gwreddiau Environmental CYF;

• Trowbridge Pantry ;

• Swansea Music Art Digital;

• Chooselife Cymru;

• CETMA;

• Outside Lives Ltd;

• Rascal Hope Centre;

• The United Church in Rhyl: ASK Centre;

• Newport Yemeni Community Association;

• Carmarthen Youth Project;

• Canolfan Maerdy;

• Hope Church Merthyr;

• The Warehouse Church;

• The Environment Centre;

• The Gellideg Foundation Group;

• Canolfan Plant Jig-So Children's Centre;

• Ammanford Foodbank

• Denbigh Youth Project;

• Play Radnor;

• Hope Trust Cardiff;

• Rumney Forum;

• Stow Park Community Centre;

• TRAC2;

• Hot Food Kitchen, SS David Lewis & Francis Xavier Church;

• The Cardiff Rugby Community Foundation;

• South Cefncaeau (Ty Enfys) Family Centre;

• The Hill Community Development Trust;

• The Parish Trust;

• Community Heart Productions;

• The Outpost - St Paul's Parish Church;

• Swansea Asylum Seekers Support;

• Growing Real Opportunities for Women (GROW) Cymru;

• Glenwood Church and Wellbeing Space;

• Lampeter Family Centre;

• Taff Ely Foodbank;

• Ebenezer Baptist Church;

• View (Dove) Ltd;

• Cwm Arian Renewable Energy Ltd;

• Bonymaen Kids Play Initiative;

• NW Nappy Collaborative CIC;

• CARAD;

• Green Soul;

• South Denbighshire Community Partnership;

• Pennysmart CIC;

• People Speak Up;

• Sharon Full Gospel Church;

• Gwent Valleys Evangelism;

• Cwmni Bro Antur Aelhaearn;

• Twynyrodyn Community Hub;

• Moxie Foundation / Working Wardrobe;

• The Fed Line Project CIC;

• Presteigne and Norton Community Trust;

• The Gathering Place Neath;

• Rhayader & District Community Support - The Arches;

• Whiterose IRC;

• Canolfan y Fron;

• Castleland Community Association;

• Clwb Chwarae Corris After School Club;

• Raspberry Creatives Community Events CIC;

• AP Cymru - The Neurodiversity Charity;

• Homemakers Community Recycling;

• Flint Parish Church;

• Learn and Grow CIC;

• Moorland Star Community Centre.

You can find out more and donate via the Community Foundation Wales website communityfoundationwales.org.uk/