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Watch one of Pembrokeshire’s smallest towns celebrate a £250,000 boost after being put on the map thanks to funding from the National Lottery.

Hanes Llandoch in St Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire received £247,410 from the Big Lottery Fund for a community orchard which will see the planning of 1,000 apple trees in the area. This will provide training, education and engagement opportunities for hundreds of people, whilst also improving the natural environment.

(Watch the incredible reaction of Nia Siggins, of the group, when the Big Lottery Fund surprised her with the news of her successful grant.)

They are one of 9 projects across Wales sharing in £2,907,263 as part of the latest round of People and Places funding. (For a full list of awards, click here).

Speaking of the announcement, Nia said: “For once in my life I was rendered speechless, but not for long as we were overwhelmed with joy, particularly when a rather large presentation cheque was produced with the magical sum of £247,410!

“The video has been brilliant. We had an overwhelming response with over 100 emails congratulating us and over 30 new people, including an artisan cider maker and an apiary expert, indicating they would like to get involved directly with the delivery of the project.

“We have definitely had more visitors to the market as a result of the exposure because it unwittingly was a good advert for the market. People are very excited about the project and to have this level of support right at the start has never happened for us in the past.

Welcoming the funding, Nia said: “The support of our local community in St. Dogmaels has been overwhelming and we are all looking forward to bringing this three year environmental project to fruition.

“The unofficial launch date will be on August Bank Holiday at our annual Medieval Fayre located in the grounds of St. Dogmaels’ Abbey, a fitting location for the launch of an orchard project as the Norman monks who established the Abbey first planted their orchards here over 900 years ago. Any interested parties can visit our stall to discover more about the project and find out how to get involved!

“We know it is going to be a lot of hard work - we have a thousand trees to plant, an extensive range of craft and vocational workshops to deliver, wild flower meadows to establish and numerous pollinator friendly activities to organise! From toddlers to pensioners, there is something that will enable everyone to engage with the project and play a part in creating what we hope will be a long lasting environmental legacy.

“The Board of Trustees of Hanes Llandoch would like to thank the team at The Big Lottery Fund for their professionalism and support during the initial stages of our application and throughout the later stages. We look forward to working with you and your team over the next three years!”

Across South Wales Barnardo’s receive £896,571 to deliver their Invisible Walls Accord project that will support children and families affected by parental imprisonment. The project will influence long-term systematic change across local and national programmes and by developing a consistent approach towards identification, support and provision.

Sarah Crawley, Director of Barnardo’s Cymru, said: “We have been helping children affected by parental imprisonment for a number of years in partnership with G4S at Parc Prison in Bridgend. Many of these children go unsupported and unnoticed at school, but our new project is changing that. Barnardo’s Cymru will be supporting and training teachers and other school staff across South Wales to work with affected children and their families to ensure better outcomes and opportunities for their futures.” 

In Wrexham, Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham (AVOW), in partnership with Glyndwr University and CAIS receives £493,784 to empower people in recovery from drug and alcohol misuse to share their experience through recovery radio. Participants will convey their story personal story as a person in recovery and learn skills in community journalism, radio production, editing and communication.

Chris Roberts, Health and Social Care Manager at AVOW said: “AVOW (Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham) and its partners, Glyndwr University and CAIS are delighted with the news that they have been awarded £493,784 from the Big Lottery People & Places fund to deliver a three year innovative project to support people living in North Wales who are in recovery from addiction.

“The Project will give a voice to people who are not usually heard and are on the margins of our society. Recording people’s stories, editing and broadcasting them through the internet and on community radio is a powerful tool that will build self-confidence and skills and give people the best chance of turning their lives around. 

“The grant will be spent on kitting-out a Hear My Voice! Recovery Radio van with audio editing equipment for local people to access and learn how to use. The Hear My Voice Team of 5 staff will be delivering learning opportunities across North Wales but particularly in rural areas in village halls and community centres.

“Look out for the Hear My Voice! Recovery Radio van coming to a town or village near you during the coming months to deliver this exciting new project for people in recovery from addiction, their families and friends.”

Elsewhere, in Monmouthshire, Raglan Village Hall and Recreation Association will use £47,904 to develop the design details to build a community hub in the centre of the village of Raglan which will involve people in community led programmes, improve access to services and reduce social isolation.

Highlighting the importance of the People and Places programme, Rona Aldrich, Wales Committee Member for the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Programmes like People and Places are making a difference to the lives of so many people in communities across Wales.
  
“It delivers on our promise to use National Lottery funding to regenerate and revitalise communities, tackle disadvantage head on and leave a lasting legacy.”

The People and Places programme awards grants of between £5,001 and £1 million for a broad range of community projects. For further information about the programme and how you can apply for funding, please visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/wales

Further Information:

Alexander Davies - Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 029 2067 8236
Public Enquiries Line: 0845 4 10 20 30                           Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow Big Lottery Fund Wales on Twitter: www.twitter.com/biglotterywales
Find Big Lottery Fund Wales on Facebook: www.facebook.com/biglotteryfundwales

• The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £6.5 billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to commemorative travel funding for World War Two veterans.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.