The Gellideg Foundation Group was set up by six local mothers to help local residents tackle anti-social behaviour and enable people to gain adaptable and transferable skills.
The charity is based in the Gellideg Estate in the town of Merthyr Tydfil, which is one of the most deprived areas in the UK with 6.8 per cent of people unemployed. The charity is run by the community and delivers programmes such as mother and toddler groups, regeneration programmes and a community cafe where beneficiaries can learn vocational skills.
With the aim of becoming self sufficient and less reliant on outside help, the charity approached the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales to fund the role of a part-time Social Enterprise Business Manager. The charity was awarded a grant of £20,000, over two years, to help towards funding the role of the manager. Colette Watkins, Project Manager at the Gellideg Foundation Group, explains, “We needed a staff member dedicated to developing our business opportunities, but didn’t have the initial capital to pay for them. This grant has been instrumental to our growth.”
In the 12 months since the charity received its grant it has extended its catering facilities and now runs a catering service that provides meals and buffets to businesses and at local events. The charity is also due to open a well being centre offering hair and beauty treatments, which will employ two members of staff and four volunteers. The charity is also in talks with the managers of the Gellideg Estate about developing its environmental task force to provide a gardening service to the entire area.
Watkins continues, “The grant has enabled us to move forward as an organisation and provide more opportunities to local residents. This will only continue as we further grow our business opportunities.”
