Salvation Army and Tŷ Olwen to benefit from Mayor’s Charity

The new Mayor of Neath Port Talbot, Councillor Janice Dudley, has announced her official charities for the year and spoken about why they are close to her heart.

Councillor Dudley will use her term in office to raise money for the Salvation Army and Tŷ Olwen.

The Salvation Army is famous for its work to support people with disabilities, older people, young people, offenders and people with substance misuse problems. It also provides food and shelter for people who are homeless and operates food distribution centres. One of The Salvation Army’s important, but lesser known, roles is its Missing Persons Service which over the years has reunited many family members.

Established in 1981, Tŷ Olwen provides palliative care, offering comfort, treatment and support for people with life limiting illnesses. As well as an inpatient specialist palliative care service and day centre based at Morriston Hospital, Tŷ Olwen’s Specialist Palliative Care team provides a service to other local hospitals and a community service covering Neath Port Talbot and Swansea.

Councillor Dudley said:

“It is a great honour to be made Mayor of Neath Port Talbot. For me, some of the highlights of the year will be the privilege of meeting people and organisations that support our communities to find out about the invaluable work they do, and the chance to raise awareness of and money for important charities.

“There are so many worthwhile charities, that I had to think long and hard about which ones to support.

“2017 marks the twentieth year since my dear husband passed away. I chose to support Tŷ Olwen in his memory and as a way of thanking them for the wonderful care and support he received.

“Having known someone who traced a missing relative through the Salvation Army, I have experienced how their support really can change people’s lives. Living with the constant worry of not knowing whether a loved one is alive or dead is a terrible thing. The impact of finding out what has happened to them can’t be put into words.”

Captain Joanne Walters of The Salvation Army said:
“The Salvation Army in Skewen serves the local community by providing a range of services such as our lunch club, our ‘Come and meet each other’ fellowship, our parent and toddlers’ group, our ladies fellowship group and our foodbank, and it is kind gestures such as this by the Mayor of Port Talbot which allow us to keep on providing services that make a difference to the lives of the people we support. We are grateful for every penny that is donated and never take financial support for granted, so we would like to thank the Mayor for choosing The Salvation Army as one of her official charities.”

Mrs Helen Murray MBE, Chairman of the Tŷ Olwen Trust said:
“Everyone at Tŷ Olwen is delighted that we are one of the Mayor’s chosen charities this year. We are a local charity where at least 98p in every pound donated goes to the care of our patients and to allow them to have the best possible support we can offer. Any money raised by the Mayor’s Charity will make a huge difference to so many people.”

The Mayor carries out hundreds of civic duties during the year, most of which are within Neath, Port Talbot, Pontardawe and the Valleys. They also chair meetings of the full Council and attend annual events such as the opening of Neath Fair, Remembrance Day events and the Civic Church Service.

The Mayor also supports the community by nominating a chosen charity or charities during their year in office. Over the past five years almost £75,000 has been raised by the Mayors of Neath Port Talbot and numerous charities have benefitted, including The National Autistic Society, Special Needs Activity Centre (SNAC), Wales Air Ambulance, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Y Rhosyn –Neath Port Talbot Hospital and the Alzheimers Society. The Foodbanks in Neath, Vale of Neath and Pontardawe have also been amongst the nominated charities.

Councillor Dudley has lived in Neath for 45 years and has represented the Bryncoch South Ward since 2004. Her theme for her Mayoral year is ‘Young People and supporting them within our Communities to achieve and be the best they can be’ and her motto is ‘Success through endeavour – Llwyddo dewy ymdrech’. In the coming year she will take part in a range of events and activities to raise money for her charities.

Supporting Councillor Dudley as Deputy Mayor is Councillor Dennis Keogh.