Charities across Wales to benefit from share of £40,000 funding from HANFOD CYMRU/Elusennau led-led Cymru i elwa ar gyfran o £40,000 oddi wrth HANFOD CYMRU

Charities across Wales to benefit from share of £40,000 funding from 

Hanfod Cymru

Charities across Wales have secured funding in the latest round of small grants from Hanfod Cymru, the body responsible for distributing money raised by Loteri Cymru ticket sales. While Loteri Cymru announced recently that it has ceased trading, Hanfod Cymru’s work continues.

Hanfod Cymru has also reported that applications for funding in this, its third round of small grants increased by a further 20%, demonstrating that the grant-making charity is continuing to raise its profile amongst the third sector in Wales

With this third round of small grants, it brings the total amount distributed to charities across Wales since Hanfod Cymru was launched a year ago to £120,000, shared between 52 organisations – a significant contribution to grass-roots charities doing such good work across Wales.

Grants ranging from £500 to £7,500 are now being awarded to 11 charities, which all offer educational, social or cultural benefits – the criteria set by Hanfod Cymru.

The projects supported include a Male Voice Choir, several Music Festivals, a Community Centre, an advice centre, and educational training courses. This time Hanfod Cymru will also support Mid Wales Opera’s touring activities and Leonard Cheshire Disability’s Strictly Cymru Dance project for young people from across Wales

Each charity was selected by Hanfod Cymru’s board of independent trustees after demonstrating how they planned to make a tangible contribution to the communities in which they operate.

The charities that secured funding are:

• Young Music Makers of Dyfed – free music session in schools across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion
• Fforwm Hanes Cymru – translator costs at its AGM and activities at the national Eisteddfod
• Clybiau Ffermwyr Ifanc Ceredigion – Welsh language GIG hosted by member of the Young Farmers’ Club for the benefit of the local community.
• Monmouth Male Voice Choir – new audio equipment and travel costs to attend two music festivals
• Fishguard International Music Festival – costs of staging two concerts aimed at younger audiences
• Mid Wales Opera – second pilot year of Mid Wales Opera’s SmallStages touring project taking fully staged live opera to small community venues across Wales.
• Menter Cwm Gwendraeth – Welsh language festival in Llanelli and surrounding area including Miri Mai at Parc y Scarlets and other related activity.
• Leonard Cheshire Disability – Strictly Cymru Dance Project for people from all parts of Wales.
• Rockfield Park Community Centre, Monmouthshire – Assistance with provision of website to market activities at the centre.
• Bro Ddyfi Advice Centre, Machynlleth – assistance in buying waiting room furniture.
• Cymdeithas Eisteddfodau Cymru – hosting 4 x day-long workshops in different parts of Wales provided by a professional signer to encourage singers to compete in local Eisteddfodau.

Siôn Brynach, Chief Executive of Hanfod Cymru, said: “All 115 charities that applied for grants were very worthy causes which made it extremely difficult for our trustees to make a decision on which would receive funding. Had we funded every application then the total would have been far in excess of £800,000. Sadly, we were not able to fund them all, but the 11 charities that will now share £40,000 will, I’m sure, make a significant impact on the communities they serve.

“It’s very positive that there has been another 20% increase in the number of charities that applied since our first and second funding rounds. It’s clear that charities and grassroot organisations are becoming more aware of the support that Hanfod Cymru can offer them in helping them support their local communities.

Hanfod Cymru is constituted as an independent charity, with its own Board of Trustees, which operates independently of Loteri Cymru, which oversees the weekly draw.

After 11 months of trading Loteri Cymru announced on 27^th March that it had ceased operating and that there will be no further draws. Whilst the lottery had a growing base of loyal weekly players, it was not enough to make the lottery financially viable. The directors of Loteri Cymru have now filed in court a Notice of Intention to put the company into administration.

Having been advised of this development, the Hanfod Cymru Board is considering its own future, and will keep the third sector advised of developments via its website.