Hwb ariannol i Lanfihangel | Cash Boost
Mae hwb ariannol o bron i £56,000 gan y Gronfa Loteri Fawr yn cynorthwyo canolfan gymunedol yn Sir Gâr i ddatblygu gweithgareddau a fydd yn cryfhau ysbryd cymunedol ac yn lleihau unigrwydd.Pwrpas y rhaglen grant Pawb a’i Le, sy’n cael ei redeg gan y Gronfa Loteri Fawr ac sy’n werth cyfanswm o £66 miliwn, yw dod â phobl ynghyd i gryfhau eu cymunedau ac i wella amgylcheddau gwledig a threfol. Dyna’n union yw nod Cymdeithas Neuadd yr Ysgol yn Llanfihangel-ar-Arth, Sir Gaerfyrddin gyda’r grant o £55,700 a dderbyniwyd ganddynt.
A cash boost of nearly £56,000 from the Big Lottery Fund is helping a community centre in Carmarthenshire to develop activities that will strengthen community spirit and reduce isolation. The Big Lottery Fund’s £66 million People and Places programme aims to bring people together to make their communities stronger and help improve their rural and urban environments. That’s exactly what Cymdeithas Neuadd yr Ysgol (School Hall Society) in Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth, Carmarthenshire, plan to do with the £55,700 they were awarded.
Bydd yr arian yn cael ei ddefnyddio i gyflogi Swyddog Datblygu a fydd yn ehangu gweithgareddau presennol a threfnu gweithgareddau newydd yn y ganolfan gymunedol i leihau unigrwydd cymdeithasol a chryfhau’r ysbryd cymunedol yn yr ardal.
Caewyd ysgol gynradd Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth dair blynedd yn ôl er gwaethaf ymdrechion trigolion lleol a frwydrodd yn galed i’w chadw ar agor. Teimlai’r pentrefwyr y byddai cau’r ysgol yn rhwygo calon y gymuned. Fodd bynnag roedd gan gnewyllyn o drigolion lleol syniadau eraill a phenderfynwyd ffurfio pwyllgor i drawsnewid yr ysgol yn ganolfan er budd y gymuned gyfan. Erbyn hyn mae ganddynt fan cyfarfod bywiog, sydd wedi creu canolbwynt cymdeithasol i bobl yr ardal. Diolch i’r grant gan y Gronfa Loteri Fawr, maen nhw wedi medru cyflogi aelod o staff yn rhan amser, yn benodol ar gyfer datblygu gweithgareddau yn y ganolfan lewyrchus.
Wrth ei bodd gyda’r dyfarniad grant, dywedodd Meinir Ffransis, Ysgrifenyddes Cymdeithas Neuadd yr Ysgol Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth: “Agorwyd y ganolfan am ein bod ni’n awyddus na fyddai cau’r ysgol yn nodi diwedd bywyd cymunedol yn y pentref. Erbyn hyn mae rhywbeth yn digwydd yn y ganolfan bob dydd ac mae’r hen ysgol yn rhan o wead y pentref unwaith eto.
Mae’r clwb ieuenctid, yr eglwys, dysgwyr Cymraeg, y gymdeithas hanesyddol a’r Ysgol Sul eisoes yn defnyddio’r ganolfan ac mae arian ar gyfer Swyddog Datblygu yn golygu gallwn ni drefnu mwy o weithgareddau i’r henoed.�
Gall ymgeiswyr i’r rhaglen Pawb a’i Le ofyn am grantiau rhwng £5,001 a £1 miliwn ar gyfer ystod eang o brosiectau. Gellir ariannu prosiectau mor amrywiol â gwasanaeth cyngor ar ddyledion mewn canolfan gymunedol, gwella mynediad a dealltwriaeth o ardal bywyd gwyllt a hyd yn oed ehangu gwasanaethau mewn canolfan deuluol.
Wrth wneud sylwadau ar yr effaith gadarnhaol gaiff y grant ar y gymuned, dywedodd Cadeirydd Pwyllgor Pawb a’i Le, Tom Davies: “ Rhaglenni fel Pawb a’i Le sy’n gwneud gwahaniaeth i fywydau cymaint o bobl mewn cymunedau ar draws Cymru gyfan. Mae’n cyflawni ein haddewid i ddefnyddio arian Loteri i adfywio cymunedau i dargedu difreintedd ac i adael etifeddiaeth hir dymor. Rwy’n ffyddiog y caiff y grant yma effaith ar fywydau nifer o drigolion yr ardal a bydd yn parhau i wneud hynny am nifer o flynyddoedd i ddod.�
A cash boost of nearly £56,000 from the Big Lottery Fund is helping a community centre in Carmarthenshire to develop activities that will strengthen community spirit and reduce isolation.
The Big Lottery Fund’s £66 million People and Places programme aims to bring people together to make their communities stronger and help improve their rural and urban environments. That’s exactly what Cymdeithas Neuadd yr Ysgol (School Hall Society) in Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth, Carmarthenshire, plan to do with the £55,700 they were awarded.
The money will be used to employ a Development Officer who will expand existing and new activities at the community centre to help reduce social isolation and strengthen the sense of community spirit that people in the area feel.
Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth primary school was closed three years ago despite the efforts of local residents who battled long and hard to try and keep it open. Many felt that the school’s closure would rip the heart out of the community. However, a cluster of locals had other ideas and decided to form a committee to transform the school into a centre that would benefit the whole community. Now they have a vibrant community amenity, which has provided a new social focus for people in the area. Thanks to funding from the Big Lottery, they also have a part-time employee, dedicated to developing events and activities at the flourishing venue.
Delighted with the award, the Secretary for Cymdeithas Neuadd yr Ysgol Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth, Meinir Ffransis, said: “We opened the centre because we didn’t want the closure of the school to signify the end of community life in the village. Something now happens at the centre everyday and the old school has woven itself back into the fabric of the community.
The youth club, the church, the Welsh learners club, the history society and the Sunday school use the centre and funding for a Development Officer means that we are able to organise more activities for the elderly.�
People and Places applicants can request funding from anything between £5001 up to a £1 million and supports a broad range of projects. Examples of the type of projects that can be funded range from supporting a debt advice service in a local community hall, improving access and understanding of a wildlife area or even extending the services at a family centre.
Commenting on the positive impact the award will have on the community, Board Member and Chair of the People and Places committee, Tom Davies, said: “It’s programmes like People and Places that make a difference to the lives of so many people in communities across Wales. It delivers on our promise to use Lottery funding to regenerate and revitalise communities, tackle disadvantage head on and leave a lasting legacy. I’m sure this award will have a positive impact on the lives of many people in the community and will continue to do so for years to come.”