A SUMMER OF SMILES

Invest Local groups made sure that this would be a summer to put smiles on people’s faces after a difficult year and a half for their communities.

The Invest Local group in Phillipstown put on a variety of youth activities, from archery and rock climbing to drama games and an inflatable assault course. The group have recently hired a Driving Change Coordinator, Rhys Howells, who jumped straight into his role by organising a raft of activity days. One of the most successful events was a gorge walk in the Glyn-neath waterfalls area, which really invigorated and inspired the children who attended.

In Caerau in the Llynfi valley, they held a local ‘Olympix’ for children and their families. As well as winning medals for races and welly toss competitions, children got the chance to meet police horses and firefighters. Local photographer Kelsey Roberts took some wonderful photos of the sunny day’s activities, which you can see in the slideshow below and on their Facebook page.

Invest Local Caerau also wanted to make sure that elderly residents in the area had some summer treats and held an afternoon tea for the members of Caerau Senior Citizens, prepared for them by Louchi's. Another of their summer events was an Open Day at Dyffryn Chapel – members of the Dementia Friendly group, the crafting group and Caerau Men Shed were all on hand to explain what they do and encourage new members to join.

Moving north, the Invest Local group Together for Colwyn Bay celebrated being able to meet and hold events again. They kicked off their summer with ‘Everyone’s Birthday Party’ in Eirias Park, a picnic for everyone who had a birthday during the Covid lockdowns and hadn’t been able to celebrate. There was music from Beulah Brass and the Ghostbuskers, and a friendly parrot! Many turned out to enjoy the day despite the classic Welsh drizzle. The group also hosted three nights of an Open-Air Cinema, showing Guardians of the Galaxy, The Martian and Fisherman’s Friend with free popcorn. Rounding off the summer, they offered free tickets to the Welsh Mountain Zoo’s community weekend which was also a great success and a lovely event for residents of Colwyn Bay’s Glyn Ward.

This is just a snapshot of some the amazing activities held by Invest Local groups over the summer. You can view photos from them in the slideshow below.