Llantwit Food Project: Working in partnership to support residents

17 April 2025

Every third Thursday of the month, a variety of Council teams link up with external partners to deliver wide ranging support to residents in Llantwit Major.

Linked to the Llantwit Food Project, coordinated by Food Vale, this opportunity to access advice is one of many services available to those who visit the town’s CF61 building on these dates.

Colleagues working for the Family Information Service (FIS), DEWIS and departments covering Healthy Living, Communities for Work, Celt+, Resettlement and Electoral Registration offer assistance on a host of topics.

They operate alongside other organisations, including Glamorgan Voluntary Services (GVS) and Citizens Advice to provide face-to-face support under one roof. 

The aim is to work together to offer comprehensive guidance to people who may need help in multiple areas.

That might include tips on gaining employment, staying active, accessing childcare and more.

Communities for Work Plus Employment Mentor Aaron Bolter said: “We come together every four weeks or so to advertise services that people may not be familiar with. We let them know what they’re entitled to and offer advice.

“It’s important to come to people because sometimes they can’t come to you. We promote courses that are available and sometimes signpost to different departments, like Adult Education.

“People might be interested in courses like digital skills, first aid, health and safety or want to achieve qualifications that can go on their CV.

“We see people from Afghanistan, we've had people from Ukraine. We work with people aged 16 all the way to retirement, people that have been made redundant and people that have just left school so it's a mixed bag.

“I know we live in a digital world, but there are still some people that like to meet in person. Here they can approach us in a relaxed environment and ask basic questions that they may not be able to access online.

“I worked with somebody in his 50s who thought the way he would get a job was through word of mouth, but obviously times have changed.

“He didn't even know how to turn on a laptop so we worked together, created a CV, signed him up to job sites and showed him how to apply.

“That was a new world for him, one he wasn’t at all familiar with, but he embraced it and has gone into employment.”

Within the community centre are four distinct areas, all offering something different.

There’s the Chatty Caffi, where volunteers support individuals who might be suffering from social isolation.

They get together over a free hot drink and connect with local community members in a friendly and safe environment.

The FoodShare run by GVS lets people choose a range of items worth at least treble the £5 it charges, including fresh fruit and vegetables, store cupboard essentials and bakery products. 

St Athan Clothes Bank offers preowned items for visitors to browse, while the Community Drop In acts as the local advice centre.

This is where the Council’s support services are located, along with Citizens Advice.

“If I get a question on childcare, or something I’m not massively clued up on, I can just signpost to one of the other providers,” said Aaron.

“I think that is a massive benefit. We all work together, and we all sort of know what each department does, but we’re not expected to know everything.

“I’ve also been asked about the winter fuel payment and who’s entitled to that so I referred them over to Citizens Advice who can talk about pension credits and things like that.”

Partnership working is at the heart of Vale 2030, the Council’s new Corporate Plan, as increasingly the organisation’s approach will be to deliver services through collaboration.

There is also a drive to empower communities, helping groups within an area deliver schemes themselves and access funding.

Lucy Mitchell, a Healthy Living Officer, said: “I cover Llantwit Major, St Athan and Rhoose, working with primary schools, secondary schools and community clubs. 

“Llantwit is my catchment area, so I come along to promote the different clubs in the area and the different opportunities available.

“We have some enquiries from older people, but we also talk to mums who say ‘I didn’t realise you had this on.’

“Someone might be interested in swimming or disability sport and want to know more about that.

“I’ve had a lot of dealings with Afghan families, who have borrowed loan bags containing equipment to play a certain sport, normally cricket sets, so we’ve got a lot more of them in.

“This group in particular need help to find jobs, long-term accommodation, they need food and water, but they also need things to do, things to keep the children entertained. They need sport and play.

“Between the different people working here, we can help address all of those different needs.”

When not attending the CF61 Community Drop-In, Emma Webley works as an advisor at the Golau Caredig building on Broad Street in Barry.

The Pod, as it is known, is a one-stop-shop, offering advice and assistance on a range of topics.

It provides support with debt, mental health and housing alongside employment advice and IT training and is financed through the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund.

Then once a month, she comes to Llantwit to help people find work. 

“Some weeks are busier than others so when the footfall is a little lower it’s all about networking with other providers, which is a big help,” she said.

“Recently, I met a young girl who's currently living in a hostel but wants to do volunteering work in a childcare setting so I spoke to Kelly (Fenton), who works with the Family Information Service to find out what was available for her.

“It’s the same with the Sports Development Team and I work very closely with Communities for Work, who are like our sister company, and the other services.

“I work with people who are furthest away from the job market, but sometimes someone will come in who’s only just left a job and is ready for work.

“In that case, I can just talk to Aaron or whoever the Communities for Work mentor is here. Instead of having to make a referral and start a whole process, it is just a face-to-face handover. It’s much quicker and lot less formal, which is nice.

“It’s great when you can really help people. I had somebody come in from Ukraine, they had just relocated to Llantwit before Christmas having previously been in North Wales.

“He had really good English so there wasn’t a barrier there and we found him employment almost straight away as a mechanic.

“He is now able to support his family and you could see how happy he was, you could see the gratitude, he could not say thank you enough.” 

Kelly from FIS also believes the communal nature of the Community Drop-In is a huge benefit.

She offers visitors support around childcare and associated costs, help with employability and information about funding.

“I do quite a lot of work with the Job Centre, Communities for Work and Celt+ and it really works when we're all here because it means that I'm just on the table next to them,” said Kelly.

“It's not like ‘oh, I need to get hold of this person who works in a different department on a different day and wait for them to email back.’

“Often, people want to know what’s going on locally that’s free or low cost, especially in the school holidays, so we work closely with the libraries, the leisure centres and the Healthy Living Team.

“I have close connections with other external organisations as well, like anyone who runs a parent and toddler group or children’s activities like dance schools. It could be a tennis club that’s putting on extra sessions in half-term or an art centre that may do clay or jewellery making.

“I deal with a range of people, and you do see the benefit of coming to days like this, coming into the community to help people rather than sitting in an office because not everybody knows who we are, not everybody knows we exist and how to reach us.

“We’re taking information to people rather than expecting them to look for it themselves.”

Kelly also revealed that attending the Drop-In has a secondary benefit as people who have visited spread word of the support available within the community.

“Often someone will say ‘I told my friend about this so she's going to pop in and have a chat with you” added Kelly. The regular people we see can act as our voice in the town because they’re taking information and giving it to people that need it.

“We had one family of refugees come in who were waiting to be housed and spoke very little English.

“But we’re lucky that there is the Dewis Cymru website, which allows you to translate the content into virtually any language.

“Then, because the database is so comprehensive, I was able to bring up loads of activities happening over the summer that they were able to read, understand and access.”

Such a focus on working with other Council departments, external organisations and citizens themselves is a fundamental aspect of Vale 2030 as the Council looks to continue building Strong Communities with a Bright Future.

The aim is for everyone to have opportunities for growth, learning and wellbeing so they have the best foundation for the future
Supporting those who may be vulnerable through partnerships, like the ones in evidence in Llantwit, and ensuring residents, regardless of age, sex, disability, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, have access to a decent standard of living is another crucial target.

Council teams are next visiting the Llantwit Food Project on Thursday, May 15.

More information, including how to get involved, can be found on the Food Vale website.