Carmarthenshire County Funding Fair Success

A SPECIAL event to help businesses, community groups and sports organisations find funding has been hailed as a great success.

The Carmarthenshire County Funding Fair was held in the Delme Thomas Centre at Parc y Scarlets last week when representatives of over 50 funders, including RDP Sir Gar, Aggregates Levy, Children in Need, Lloyds TSB, WRU, were on hand to discuss the various grants and support available in Carmarthenshire.

Workshops on Establishing Sustainable Organisational Structures and Community Managed Leisure Facilities – Asset Transfer Briefing Session were also provided free of charge.

The event was organised by the Community Bureau in partnership with the Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services.

Visitor Gemma Davies of Kinetic Bam said: “We have come here to look for grants. Our business is promoting fitness and we put on classes in gymnastics, free running yoga and other activities.”

Llandovery YMCA centre manager Jill Tatman said: “We are looking for funding to develop various projects. Tidy Towns looks like something we would want to be involved in. We are very interested in the environmental issue and young people.

“I came to the Funding Fair last year and was so impressed that I’ve come back again. Community organisations like us are always looking for funding so it’s useful to get together.”

Community Regeneration Officer Sally Doughton said: “The Funding Fair went well. We have had good reports from the exhibitors and large numbers of visitors.”

Carmarthenshire County Council executive board member for regeneration and leisure Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “This is a special event for the people of Carmarthenshire. Over the years I have seen the effect of fairs like this in helping businesses and community groups see what is on offer and what grants are available.”

Cllr Mair Stephens, chair of CAVS, said she welcomed the partnership between the voluntary sector and the county council.

“I’m of course mindful that all sectors are feeling the effects of the funding downturn. The third sector faces a very special challenge because of increased competition for funding and the fall in public and charitable giving.

“We must embrace this as a time of great opportunity for our sector by capitalising on the large range of support and opportunities here today.”

Picture. From left: Collaborative Communities project manager Jane Lewis, and enterprise development officer Andrew Jones, talk to Gemma Davies of Kinetics Bam Ltd, which promotes fitness.

Pic Jeff Connell