Organisations the Community Fund has already helped

Based in Wrexham, Family Friends supports local families through practical and emotional support, free counselling for adults and children, confidence building courses, and wellbeing, respite and activity groups. With over 25 local agencies referring families to them, they often have a waiting list for their support.

A grant of £9,830 will help them cover their staff costs, so that they can continue offering this much-needed support to local families. 

Affectionately known as ‘The Comm’, the centre supports the community through a diverse range of services to combat social deprivation, loneliness and isolation, including activities for children and young people, an advice drop in, and their Soup from the Hub & Drop-in Eatery. 

They received a grant of £10,000 to help cover the costs of running their drop in, which provides over 65 people a week with a free homemade lunch, as well as an opportunity to enjoy social interaction and access additional support services. 

Llanfyllin Shed promotes health and wellbeing and reduces loneliness through social interaction and practical activities. They provide opportunities for people to get involved in projects, learn or develop new skills, build friendships and support each other.

Back in 2022 the group were supported with project funding to set up their new base to help expand their reach. This core funding grant of £5,000 will cover the rent, heating and lighting at the unit they run their activities from, for the next 12 months. 

Based just inside the Welsh border, Pennysmart CIC supports people who are struggling financially through providing budgeting support and benefit and debt advice to vulnerable households in North East Wales and Cheshire. They help people manage their bills, access grants, escape problem debt and give them the skills to manage their money long term.

A grant of £5,170 will help them cover their day to day running costs, including rent and utilities so they can keep offering this vital support to those who need it. 

A community focused charity, We Are Plas Madoc runs multiple projects to help improve quality of life for local residents and make the community a better place to live. These services include offering affordable food, community transport, wellbeing groups and a drop-in support hub.

The £10,000 grant they’ve received will be used to cover the electricity costs at their community hub for the next year. 

Your Space is a small charity that supports young people with Autism and their families across Wrexham, Powys, Flintshire and Denbighshire. They provide a network of support for families through their outreach team, family support service, parent groups, training and counselling, alongside running a range of activities for children, young people and young adults with autism.

A grant of £10,000 will help them pay off some outstanding bills, including rent, which will reduce their monthly outgoings so they can focus their resources on delivering support to families who need it.  

Home-Start Wrexham is a family support charity rooted in the local community, that supports families in Wrexham with a child from conception to 12 years, helping them to have a healthier and happier family life. 

They received a grant of £8,000 to help them cover the utility costs of their building, which offers a safe space for families to access their support. 

For over forty years, the centre has been there to help people deal with issues including debt and money problems, energy advice, housing and benefit entitlements as well as working closely with their local food bank, providing emergency support.

A grant of £7,915 will help them cover their rent and energy costs for 12 months, so that they can keep being there for those who need their help. 

Established since 1972, Bradley Playgroup and Toddlers provides an essential service to the local community as a safe, secure and stimulating environment where children are able to access a wide variety of quality educational activities. 

They received a grant of £5,220 to help cover their rent costs, so that they can continue to run activities for the next 12 months. 

UAreUk support refugees and asylum seekers in Wrexham and neighbouring counties, helping them to feel welcome, well and safe through wellbeing opportunities, social connection, food share and a community ‘Sanctuary’ hub. 

A grant of £10,000 will help them cover their running costs, so they can continue to offer tailored advice and support to those who need it. 

Age Cymru Powys is the only specialist support organisation for older people and their families in Powys. They reduce poverty and social isolation and improve quality of life for older Powys residents by offering time, compassion and life-changing support. 

They received a grant of £10,000 to help cover their Wellbeing Officer’s salary and costs to recruit and train more volunteers to support people. 

Run entirely by volunteers, this community building provides a warm and welcoming space for the local community, with a lunch club, senior group and men's shed, eco group and children’s playgroup.  

A grant of £9,770 will help them cover their ongoing utility and energy bills, as well as costs for food supplies and other running costs of their hub.

Run entirely by volunteers, this community building provides a warm and welcoming space for the local community, with a lunch club, senior group and men's shed, eco group and children’s playgroup.  

A grant of £9,770 will help them cover their ongoing utility and energy bills, as well as costs for food supplies and other running costs of their hub.

Llay Community Church of the Nazarene runs regular events throughout the year to support their community, such as luncheon clubs, clothes and toy swaps, and adult education classes, as well as hosting many local community groups who meet in their building to socialise and reduce isolation.

In the community there are many homes that are lower-income or have no access to a car, and so rely on public transport to access facilities outside of the village. The £2,000 grant has been used to buy a large television to enable the church to host an accessible, free, monthly community movie night open to everyone, providing an affordable activity to families who may be struggling and those in the community who may be dealing with loneliness or isolation.

Ysgol ID Hooson are a primary school in the center of Rhos. Wellbeing has always been important to them and since lockdown they have noticed how much more comfortable and engaged the children are when doing activities outdoors.

This grant of £7,400 will enable them to purchase some outdoor play equipment to offer more activities outside and further develop their forest school, allowing the children to connect with nature, learn about the environment and wildlife and have fun.

Guilsfield Tennis Club is a sports facility run by volunteers for the benefit of the local community. Their aim is to be an inclusive club, encouraging people to get out in the fresh air and be more active.

Currently there is a lack of facilities where people can meet and spectate, so they applied for a £2,851 grant to purchase some benches that will provide a space where people can watch activities, socialise across the generations and so that those who may not be able to play themselves (for example elderly residents) can still get involved. 

Wrexham Clothing Exchange run an environmental learning space for the local area alongside a community café. They run monthly clothing and book exchanges and an interview clothing library as well as offering free classes on sewing, upcycling and other clothes-repairing skills in order to help reduce landfill and the local carbon footprint.

The ‘Library of Things’ project is to provide a hire shop of household goods, tools, and clothes whilst also creating a space that teaches the community how to mend broken items through skill share, to help people save money, learn new skills and benefit the environment by reducing waste. 

Bwlchgwyn School is a small rural primary school. As well as their day to day activities, the school provides wider school community access to the grounds for physical activity and wellbeing.

The grant will be used to create a wildflower meadow and woodland walk within the grounds for all of the wider school community to use. This will include tree planting, wildflowers, an accessible path and seating areas and will be used for forest school activities as well as meditation and environmental and art sessions.

Ysgol Gynradd Penycae primary school supports children aged from 3-11 and is committed to providing a stimulating and engaging curriculum for their children with opportunities for learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Since the pandemic they’ve noticed children are engaging less with the outdoors so they applied for a grant to transform a barren and empty outdoor space into a stimulating outdoor environment that all children can use throughout the year.

The children have given their own ideas for the space, which will include planting and growing areas. 

Meifod is a rural village where the Friends of Ysgol Meifod volunteer group provide facilities, experiences, and support for their community school which is a central hub within the village with strong community links. This project will create an outdoor hub for the whole community to enjoy, to encourage social activity, promote wellbeing, improve mental health, and provide a meeting place to learn new skills such as gardening.

This will bring together different generations by providing an inclusive space, helping to reduce isolation, and supporting those with additional learning needs through features such as sensory plants and quiet spaces to reflect. 

The Wrexham Warehouse Project is a charity based in Wrexham town centre, that offers a variety of training courses and support for young people alongside running projects for the homeless, people with disabilities and many other community groups.

With a grant of £10,000 they have installed kitchen facilities for those they support day to day as well as museum visitors and other members of the community. This new space will also be used for healthy eating and cooking classes, demonstrating cooking techniques and healthy food choices to the community. 

This Community Woodland Farm focuses on farming the Welsh upland more sustainably, increasing biodiversity by managing a variety of wildlife areas and habitats, offering opportunities for volunteers to learn wildlife survey techniques and involving local schools and groups in transforming the land into community woodland and meadows.

Through a grant of £7,474 they have provided better facilities including a shelter for volunteers and a roundhouse that can be used for educational purposes, to support the wellbeing of everyone who visits and enable more of the community to get involved in their activities.

Agri-cation CIC give children from disadvantaged backgrounds and disabled children the opportunity to visit their family farm and experience outdoor learning, including wildlife and habitat, how to tackle climate change and growing your own food.

A grant of £9,408 for their Grow Together project will help many new and different groups of the community regain confidence and improve their mental health, social skills and wellbeing.  

Activities educate on the importance of healthier lifestyle choices, conservation and sustainability, reduce social isolation and loneliness and give access to the environment, bringing benefit from outdoor experiences tailored to their individual needs and helping them enjoy and learn about the local countryside.

Clywedog Sailing Club, based at Llyn Clywedog, is run by volunteers and serves the local communities of Llanidloes, Newtown, Machynlleth and Welshpool, who come to enjoy sailing, canoeing and paddleboarding activities. They also have a focus on the participation of younger visitors, offering provision for people with disabilities and despite its remote location, the wider site receives a large volume of visitors each year.

A grant of £2,000 has provided the club with a public access defibrillator outside the clubhouse, which will make a huge difference in safety and reassurance for all who visit this rural location and could be potentially lifesaving in an emergency situation. 

Llanfyllin Shed are a community based group that support men’s health and wellbeing through social and practical activities, helping to build connections and friendships and reduce isolation and feelings of loneliness.

A grant of £5,000 has helped them to expand their support, by enhancing their new base so they can reach out to more people and providing a community hub that offers a variety of activities and support to many different groups of the community.

Caia Park Partnership is a community led organisation in the heart of Wrexham’s Caia Park. Deeply embedded in the local community, everything they do is towards their ambition of enabling people to achieve their potential.

A grant of £8,838 has revived their outdoor space to offer a safe, comfortable environment where people can meet, receive support, access training, get involved in outdoor learning and improve their health and wellbeing.

The Wilderness Trust has been teaching skills in sustainable living for over 30 years from its farm base in the heart of Llanidloes. Their community spaces bring people together to support their wellbeing and engage with the natural world. 

A grant of £10,000 has enabled them to turn a derelict building into a new community apple press that uses surplus fruit to create local produce, engaging young people with learning disabilities, providing activities and learning opportunities for the community and reducing food waste along the way.