Dee Valley social enterprise will expand life-saving services with £500,000 grant

The grant from the National Lottery - People and Places fund will enable South Denbighshire Community Partnership (SDCP) to create two new jobs and extend services into the evenings and weekends as well as weekdays.

The injection of cash also secures the future of the not-for-profit company for the next four years, according to the new woman at the helm.

Mother-of-four Sally Lloyd Davies, from Maerdy, has been appointed as the new chief officer of the organisation.

She’s following in the footsteps of her predecessor and mentor, Margaret Sutherland, who’s retiring eight years after her “immense contribution” which was recognised with an MBE in 2020.

The organisation was founded in 2011, with the “double act” starting to work there on the same day five years later and since then it has gone from strength to strength.

As well as managing two community centres, Canolfan Ni in Corwen and Pengwern Community Hub in Llangollen, SDCP provides a raft of services designed to “improve the health and wellbeing” of mainly older and vulnerable people in the Dee Valley.

They include meals on wheels with 1,500 deliveries every year in Edeyrnion, lunch clubs serving 2,000 meals annually, social activities and a range of community transport services amounting to nearly 7,000 passenger journeys over the past 12 months.

Last year funding from the Motability Foundation enabled SDCP to increase its fleet from three to five vehicles – the fleet consists of two minibuses, two wheelchair-adapted cars and a van fitted with ovens and fridges to deliver meals.

According to Sally, none of what they do would be possible without the “brilliant team” of 43 dedicated volunteers.

She said: “We are absolutely thrilled to secure this vital funding from the National Lottery Community Fund because it gives the organisation and the team security to know that we can carry on with the good work that we are doing.

“It’s also going to enable us to develop some new initiatives and expand some services into evenings and weekends.

“Everything we do is driven by the community and that was one of the things that was highlighted when we consulted local people in Llangollen and Corwen about what they felt was needed in their communities.

“We will also be looking to work with partners to develop new projects that are going to look at education and upskilling people to get re-engaged with learning.

“In the meantime, the new tranche of funding will enable us to expand our existing services which are a lifeline for elderly and vulnerable people in the area..

“The food deliveries not only provides people with a nice hot, nutritious meal but the volunteers visit them daily when they deliver Monday to Friday and they are our eyes and ears.

“There have been occasions sadly we have found somebody that’s fallen and we have been able to ring emergency service or get help for them from the GP or family.

“It’s crucial for people who might otherwise be isolated and can literally be a life-saver.

“With our dial-a-ride service, people sign up for an annual membership fee and journey charge and then they book their journey with a minimum of 48 hours’ notice subject the availability of our volunteer drivers.

“We always give priority to medical appointments – trips for hospital or GP appointments – and we also provide transport for people who want to go shopping or to see a friend.

“Making use of the two minibuses, we have been able to increase our social trips which are really well received because they really help in reducing isolation and loneliness.

“We have two wheelchair accessible vehicles and we are really lucky that the volunteers give us their time to provide the service in Corwen and Llangollen. They are the lifeblood of the organisation.

Sally also paid tribute to Margaret Sutherland’s “inspirational leadership” since 2016.

She added: “I have learned so much from Margaret over the past eight years. I am determined to continue this work, and make both Margaret and our community proud.”

Margaret Sutherland said: ”Knowing that Sally is going to take over makes my retirement a lot easier because it gives me peace of mind about the future of SDCP.

“I know it’s in very good hands with Sally at the helm. I am confident that the organisation is going to thrive and continue to serve our community.

“For every £1 of funding we received, we have created £13 of social value and that’s based on feedback from the community.

“A cornerstone of our success has been developing good relationships with Denbighshire County Council and the health board, enabling us to access more funding to provide more services.

“The reason we have been able to do so much is that we have worked in partnership with other organisations and we have become a go-to organisation to get things done in South Denbighshire.”