Ski group helps brain-injured person ski for the very first time welcomes National Lottery money

4 Nov 2016 12:12 PM

A skiing group that helped someone with a lifelong brain injury ski for the very first time is thrilled with the news that they are receiving National Lottery money.

Ski4All Wales based in Pembrey Ski Centre, Carmarthenshire are one of 57 projects receiving funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All small grants programme. (For details of all awards, please click here.)
 
They receive £5,000 to upskill volunteers and purchase ski kit, enabling them to extend their facilities and coaching to more people who suffer from visual or neurological impairment. This will help get volunteers trained as instructors through Disability Snowsport UK and the purchase of specialist pieces of equipment such as sit skis and outriders. 
 
Wynn Davies attends the club regularly and has done since its inception. Wynn has an acquired brain injury which has meant he is unable to walk and has difficulty in communicating. Ski4All Wales has enabled him to do what he loves best, going fast! With the instructors and volunteers of the club along with help from his support workers he is able to get into a sit ski and experience the thrill of flying down the mountain. With support from the club he has been to the Alps to take his love for the sport to a new level. Last year Wynn was part of the successful fundraising team that completed 1 mile in one hour on the Pembrey slope raising over £1500 for the club.
    
Another member of the club, John, who has lived with a brain injury from a very young age, has managed to go from never having been on skis before to getting down the slope totally unaided. John said “I absolutely love coming to the club every Wednesday, I never thought I could get down on my own, I love going fast and can’t wait to go from the very top!” 
 
Welcoming the grant, Simon Clarke of Ski4All Wales said: “The award of the Big Lottery Fund grant is gratefully received. The key to the club is having trained people who can then pass on their skills to volunteers and family so we can continue to grow and get even more people involved. We hope to expand our club times and put on more days and this money will help that, not to mention the great and sorely needed new kit this money will help us buy. We’d love to hear from people who think they’d benefit from our work, so please get in touch and we’ll see you on the mountain!”

Elsewhere, in South East Wales, Stemworks Limited will use £3,655 to expand their series of practical workshops on robotic technology to more schools in Torfaen, aimed at enhancing pupil’s confidence and removing negative misconceptions about STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths). In Newport, Liz Clarke & Company will use £5,000 to deliver workshops for people who have experienced mental health issues culminating in a theatre performance where participants will showcase their stories and experiences.

In Mid and West Wales, Rhayader and District Community Support in Powys will use £4,920 to develop the volunteering opportunities at two retail outlets established by the organisation; a community shop and a furniture recycling unit, and in Ceredigion Aberystwyth University will use £4,997 to improve access to legal and non-legal advice for veterans and their families in Wales by providing a comprehensive signposting and referral service.

In North Wales, Double Click Design & Print CIC in Deeside will use £4,150 to improve the facilities they use to train members of the local community who have experienced or are experiencing mental health issues, and Cylch Meithrin Tregarth, in Gwynedd will use £4,900 to will provide new and additional resources for the children who attend to promote their education and development through play.

Gareth Williams, Awards for All Programme Manager for the Big Lottery Fund in Wales, said: “Awards for All is having a positive impact throughout Wales.

“Money is helping to establish groups, societies and clubs, promoting learning, increasing volunteering opportunities and helping to build stronger communities.”

Available in English and Welsh, application forms are available to download from www.awardsforall.org.uk or by phone on 0345 4 10 20 30.

Further Information:

Rosie Dent - Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 029 2067 8223
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030  |  Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow BIG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/biglotterywales
Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/biglotteryfundwales
                                                                                                                                       
Notes to Editors:

• 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 £6.5billion 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.
• Ski4All Wales operates from Pembrey Ski Centre every Wednesday from 10 until 2. Please see website for contact details – www.ski4allwales.cymru