Grangetown Community Concern's application form for the South Wales Echo Community Champion Award, Grangetown, Cardiff, 2003

Description

The South Wales Echo Community Champion Awards were set up in 2003 to reward people who do great work in the community and celebrate the success of a team, event or person.

(Page 1 of the application gives the name and personal details of the coordinator who completed the form.)

Page 2 states Grangetown Community Concern was set up over 27 years previously:
“To act as an umbrella organisation for other voluntary groups in the Grangetown area.
To assist in the well-being and improvement of the local community.”
The area is described as “a multicultural inner city area of Cardiff”.
“GCC has one part time employee and contributions from many volunteers both young and old from diverse backgrounds.”
Sadly “All of the original members of the group have either passed on moved away, but it was set up to help the community at large. Specifically any disadvantaged parts of the community.”

Page 3 describes how the group has improved life in the community, funding, and what the group hoped to achieve in the future.
“We organise the following:
· Christmas lunch for the elderly
· May day lunch and trip for the elderly
· Week long festival which involves everyone in the community including the 4 local primary schools
· A free quarterly newspaper delivered by volunteers to every home in area (6,200)
· Community cups to local primary schools (4)
· Meals on Legs – delivering meals to elderly people in their own homes.

Funding included:
· lottery funding for new computer system
· millennium Festival funding to fund the 2000 Festival
· Cardiff County Council – arts grant
· Cardiff County Council – Social Services grant towards wages of part time co-ordinator

· “We wish to expand the delivery of our local free newspaper.
· We need to establish a new base as our current one is being closed down,
· We wish to increase the activity generally in the area.”

Page 4: Asked to “ evidence how your community group has improved community life in the community”, the reply was:
“Grangetown Community Concern has been involved in the community for over 27 years and has helped lots of different groups during this time. Our Meal’s on Legs service helps elderly people who are unable to get out and about to stay in their home and receive a fresh cooked meal every day Monday to Friday. Volunteers, some of who give up their lunch hour during work times to deliver these meals, man this service.
The Community Cups, which are presented to the four local primary schools are given to the pupil who has done the most either in the community of the school or the community in general.
This year we have been awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award for voluntary service by groups in the community.”

Page 5 sheds some light on the frustrations of organising a community group.
Asked why they think the group deserved the award, they replied:
“Grangetown Community Concern should be awarded this prize for it’s sheer tenacity. It is not easy to keep a small community group going today, there is constant worry about funding for one thing but the real killer is apathy. The pace of life today is not conducive with donating large amounts of time to community activities, but every year 4 community newspapers (16 page documents) are produced and distributed to nearly 6500 homes, an annual week long festival is organised and run with events going on in various different locations, an outing for the elderly is organised, a Christmas lunch, 2 or 3 small Saturday Fayres. On a daily basis lunchtime meals are delivered for those older people who have difficulty getting to the Centre. I should like to point out at this point that there is only one employee to this organisation who works 15 hours per week (officially) all of the rest is organised, administered and executed by a smallish group of very dedicated volunteers.”

The submission continues that despite losing their Clydach Street Centre next September and having no new base yet, “they are already talking about a new colour front page to the Christmas newspaper and the Children’s Carol Service”.

Finally it is acknowledged that although winning the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award [for voluntary service by groups in the community] was great, “there is nothing like being recognised for your worth in your own town.”

(Page 6 gives personal details of 2 referees and date of completion 28/7/03.)

Grangetown Community Concern is a voluntary group, partly funded by Cardiff Council but almost entirely run by volunteers. It was established in 1977 and is a registered charity. The group was set up as an umbrella group for other voluntary organisations with its aims and objectives to provide and encourage services for all age groups, with a particular focus on older people.

The group organises the week-long Grangetown Festival in June. It also organised lunches and trips for older people, and produced a quarterly local newspaper. The organisation has awarded community cups to children from local primary schools who have shown community spirit and has also been responsible for arranging an annual carol service.

The group was renamed Grangetown Community Action in 2014.

Glamorgan Archives, D1070/111
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