Another busy year for Melin’s Jump2 Fund

Our Communities Team run the Jump2 Fund and an important part of their work is assessing the applications for funding which we receive and liaising with those who have reached out to us. It is a busy but rewarding task and we were thrilled to be able to support 16 successful applications (out of a total of 19) last year, granting a total of £3,234.

Check out some of the projects below to see the kind of important work Jump2 has been able to support over the last 12 months:

• Caldicot Comprehensive School requested to purchase a Lego robot. A robot will provide the opportunity to learn coding and give the children skills which may help them to choose a future subject to study or a career. The school is hoping to be able to build up a number of robots so that they can invite their feeder junior school to visit and learn about robot programming. This will allow them to offer new skills to the pre-comprehensive children from the area.
  
• St Albans Roman Catholic High School were looking to raise money to invest in developing their own school gym and fitness suite. The suite would be used to tackle many of the problems faced as a school community and the aftereffects of the pandemic. They were finding many students’ physical and mental health had been severely impacted since March 2020 and were looking to use exercise as a stimulus to improve this. The money requested would enable equipment to be purchased to expand the school gym/fitness suite, which would enable pupils to access physical activity free of charge.
  
• Garndiffaith Bowls Club applied for a donation for equipment to maintain the bowling green and keep it in good condition. The club is at the heart of the Garndiffaith community. There is a healthy membership of both male and female members made up of Melin and non Melin residents from the local community. Members can enjoy competitive games of bowls at the club and are able to participate in a full social calendar. Members of all ages are welcome and competitive and practice games are played once or twice a week during the season. As well as playing bowls, members often get together to maintain the clubhouse and facilities and have social functions held at the clubhouse.
  
• Tranch AFC applied for a heavy duty strimmer to maintain the grounds of the club as access for the local community was an issue and footballs are often lost as a result of the overgrowth. A wide range of activities take place on the football ground and it is used by people from the surrounding areas on a regular basis, including children from a local youth club.
  
• Portskewett & Sudbrook Junior Football Club applied for money to purchase football equipment. The club has over 85 local children in the club, aged between 3 and 14. Many of these children benefit from the free football on offer up to eight years old. The older age groups get heavily discounted access due to the number of grants and sponsorships the volunteers work hard to secure.

• Pontnewynydd Community Organisation requested a donation towards a community Christmas party. After a long absence of community events due to the pandemic, the Community Organisation thought it would be nice to give the community something to look forward to and provide an opportunity for local residents to get together. The Community Centre itself is open for a variety of activities such as lunch club, art class, children’s boxing, bingo, slimming world, male voice choir, a special needs choir and fitness classes.
  
• 6th Newport West Ranger Unit requested equipment to support its Duke of Edinburgh programme and to expand more outdoor activities. It is the only Girl Guiding Unit in Newport for girls 14 to 18 actively recruiting and encouraging membership from across the city. Rangers meet regularly, have fun doing activities together, and are recognised for their achievements and awards. They are encouraged to give something back to their community by local volunteering. The Rangers participate in the Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh awards, which enhances their CVs and helps them to gain employment and assists with university applications.
  
• Cwmbran Town AFC requested training balls and First Aid kit refills. The club intends to keep giving every individual the opportunity to play football, at all age levels, to progress to a standard they enjoy, in a friendly, sporting and flourishing community. Unfortunately, the pandemic has had devastating effect on grassroots football teams around the country and Cwmbran Town is one of them. Looking forward they are hoping to develop the club to become financially sustainable, this will benefit the local community greatly by having rentable pitches/halls, coffee shop/community hub and more.

• Llanhilleth Miners Institute applied for funding for equipment and materials to support the monthly lunch club and events for older people. The monthly lunch club has been an established and popular part of the community activities for over ten years and, pre-pandemic, it was typically attended by 90-110 older people. The lunch club offers an opportunity for older people from Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Torfaen to socialise and meet new and old friends. The lunch club also helps to support two other local organisations, The Hospice of the Valleys and Llanhilleth Knit and Natter Group.
  
• Pantygasseg Residents Association applied for payment towards the costs of fitting a community defibrillator. The Village is extremely rural, located on the top of a mountain in north Torfaen. Organisations such as The Tirpentwys Mountain Bike Club, The Ramblers Association and local walkers and tourists who come to view the Blue Lagoon and visit the area. In the last 10 years, two residents have died from cardiac arrest, with ambulances taking over 40 minutes to get to the village. In 2019 a young boy aged 15 passed away whilst waiting for an ambulance, after suffering a major arrest mountain biking. The defibrillator will serve the whole community in addition to the residents.
  
• Cwmbran High School requested school rugby kit for pupils in Key Stage 4. Having recently taken on a WRU Rugby Hub Officer at Cwmbran High School, the school aims to provide a great rugby experience with lots of opportunities to all learners. There has been a huge drive by promoting the game during curricular and extra-curricular time, providing students with lots of opportunities to participate for both male and female pupils.
  
• Eco Warriors Of Bran requested money to purchase tools and equipment for community environmental and litter picking. The group of Cwmbran residents and volunteers aim to protect and preserve the natural environment of Torfaen by reviving and developing natural areas and increasing awareness of nearby nature through events and activities. Litter picking events take place every Sunday throughout the year, promoted via Facebook and open to anyone to participate. The whole of Cwmbran is covered including housing estates and woodland areas. To date, approximately 900 bags of litter and 12 tons of fly tipping has been cleared.
  
• Deri View Primary School asked for help to purchase board games, jigsaws and Lego to keep the children occupied and entertained at breakfast club. They currently have 54 children attending and expect this to rise with the increasing financial pressures on families.

The school would like to open their breakfast club to all those families who need it. Whilst breakfast clubs are for children, their impact ripples over to families and entire communities.

The breakfast club has a positive impact on pupils’ ability to concentrate, and pupils who have eaten breakfast are more prepared to learn

• St Illtyd Primary School requested help to purchase a minibeast hive and bug home to improve children’s outdoor learning provision. The aim of the project is for the children of the local community to learn to love, respect and take care of the outdoor environment. It will also help develop numeracy skills outdoors.
  
• Garnsychan Partnership requested funding for decorations for Easter for its ‘Connecting with Friends’ lunch club . The lunch club meets every Tuesday to tackle isolation and loneliness within the older residents of the community. It provides a safe and welcoming environment for residents to meet socially and improve health and wellbeing.

• Ysgol Panteg applied for wet weather clothing for its school forestry project. This project is not part of the school curriculum and clothing and items do not get funded by school budget.

We would like to congratulate all of our successful applicants and thank them for the amazing work they are doing across the region. We hope that you have been inspired by some of the projects here and perhaps you want to make an application yourself. We’re keen to hear from any groups who are seeking funding for their work in Melin communities. Simply complete our application form (being careful to check your eligibility) and send it back to us and we’ll be in touch!