In February this year, we launched the inaugural round of the Mynydd Y Gwair Community Fund, and we’re very pleased to announce the successful applicants!

The Mynydd y Gwair Community Fund offers grants to organisations providing services, facilities or activities that benefit the communities within the Community / Town Council areas of Llangyfelach, Pontlliw and Tircoed, Pontarddulais, Mawr, Penllergaer, Clydach and Morriston.

The very first small grants round opened between 25^th February and 25^th March 2019, offering up to £10,000 to third sector organisations, social enterprises, schools and Town and Community Councils in the areas of benefit.

The independent grants panel (made up of individuals from the areas of benefit) had an unenviable task, as the initial round was heavily oversubscribed, receiving 51 applications. After much deliberation, 12 organisations were successful in their applications, with a total of £85,400 awarded.

Reverend Jason Beynon, Minister of Bont Elim Community Church who successfully applied for funding to develop a counselling and support hub, said

We at Bont Elim Community Church are so happy to receive news that we have been successful in our grant application. The … grant will enable a band of volunteers, along with a local trusted tradesman, to renovate an old outbuilding. As well as the journey of occupational therapy, this will create a Counselling and Support Hub that will eventually house additional services in the community including a 'Gingerbread' group for single parents, a twelve step therapy group for those going through addiction, as well as many varied counselling and support programs.

The 12 successful first round applications are:

• 4th Lliw Valley (Pontardulais) Scouts - Scout Hall Disabled Toilet & Wet Room
• Action for Elders - Health Our Way: Improving the wellbeing of older people in Clydach
• Bont Elim Community Church - Counselling and Support Hub
• Cylch Gwinio’r Bont - Cylch Gwinio’r Bont Outreach Workshops and Visits
• Felindre Welfare Hall - Welfare Hall upgrade
• Penllergare Trust - renewable energy educational resource
• Pontarddulais Partnership - core costs
• Pontarddulais Cricket Club - Refurbishment of the Indoor cricket practice nets
• Pontarddulais Comprehensive School - Bont Comp Sports Hall Flooring Refurbishment
• St John Cymru (Pontarddulais Division) - Bring It On Bont St John
• Ty Croeso - Maintaining support for Ty Croeso’s activities
• Village Voices – Continue and grow their community choir

(For project summaries, click here for more information)

The fund has been made possible as a result of the newly developed Mynydd Y Gwair wind farm, which was completed by innogy earlier this year.

Katy Woodington, Senior Community Investment Officer at innogy said

Mynydd y Gwair Wind Farm is a 16 turbine project, and now it is operational, can generate enough renewable electricity to power the equivalent needs of approximately 22,600 average Welsh homes. I am delighted to see the wider benefits in the local community being made available. The community funding from Mynydd y Gwair Wind Farm is long term, sustainable funding. We are really looking forward to seeing how it supports community projects both very local to the project and more widely across Swansea.

The fund will distribute approximately £6million over the expected 25-year operational lifetime of the project.

SCVS Director, Amanda Carr said

Unrestricted funding such as that offered through Mynydd Y Gwair Community Fund, over such a long period of time, is very rare indeed. We are delighted that the fund is proving so popular, and look forward to the long-term community benefit it will provide over the coming decades.

It’s anticipated that the next round of the Mynydd Y Gwair Community Fund will open in July 2019, and will be for applications (for both revenue and capital costs) up to £30,000.

More information will be available on the SCVS website closer to the time.

If you would like to know more about the Mynydd Y Gwair Community Fund, including the area of benefit map, click here.