NFU Cymru donates wellies to children’s community charity

More than 100 pairs of children’s wellies were donated to the Stephens and George Centenary Charitable Trust, who run Dowlais Community Centre in Merthyr Tydfil, by NFU Cymru Deputy President Abi Reader, NFU Cymru Poultry Board Chairman Richard Williams and NFU Cymru County Adviser Stella Owen, as part of the union’s Welsh Farming Week celebrations.

The wellies were originally collected by NFU Cymru as part of the union’s symbolic display on the steps of the Senedd in March.

The emphatic display depicted the 5,500 jobs at risk within the immediate farming sector if the Sustainable Farming Scheme went ahead in its current form.

As part of that project, the union pledged that the 5,500 pairs of wellingtons would be donated to charitable causes in Africa and the shipment of footwear is due to land on the shores of Africa in the coming days.

However, such was the response to the appeal that NFU Cymru received well in excess of the 5,500 pairs originally requested, leading the union to donate the remainder to good causes in Wales, such as the Stephens and George Centenary Charitable Trust.

The Stephens and George Charitable Trust was set up 14 years ago to help young people in the Merthyr Tydfil County Borough raise their literacy standards and to make books accessible to all. This has now grown and the work the trust does today varies from community outreach in schools, reading help and a baby bookwork project. They also run an alternative education programme which helps young people from primary and secondary schools who do not attend mainstream schools, a chess in schools programme, as well as one of the biggest children’s literacy festivals in the country.

The trust also run after school and holiday clubs with a #nophonesorcomputers policy which prioritises unplugged activities that encourages creativity, social interaction and physical activity. This scheme also utilises the outdoors and forest school as well as creative writing with authors and poets, learning about culture, environmental and skills such as cooking.

At the former Dowlais Train Station site there is also a community gym and the Railway café, offering coffee, cakes and light bites and a place to chat for members of the local community.

NFU Cymru Deputy President Abi Reader said: “As part of NFU Cymru I get to meet some incredible people and organisations both in and outside the farming industry and this was no exception. The work that the staff and volunteers of the Stephens and George Charitable Trust do for the young people in their community is heartwarming to see, and the fact that we have been able to donate some of the wellies our members donated to us to them, will make such a difference to the users of their service.”

Amanda Williams, Charity Administrator said: “I’d like to thank NFU Cymru for their generous donation of wellies. As a charity we work with young people throughout the area, some of which have no support at home, but coming to our events makes them feel like part of something, and gives them a safe space to be themselves, while learning in new and exciting ways. We plan to pass on these wellies to those who need them at an upcoming event so they can get involved in outdoor activities without adding financial pressure to their parents.”

NFU Cymru Poultry Board Chairman Richard Williams added: “It was an absolute pleasure to visit the Dowlias Community Centre to drop off these wellies. Seeing the passion the staff and volunteers have for their jobs and the children they work with was an inspiration and I would urge everyone to have a look at their website to learn more about their projects and upcoming events.”