Children from across the Ogmore Valley are being encouraged to get crafty after a local Bridgend-based business has expanded its offering to the local area and is now helping youngsters to have the opportunity to turn their hand to art.
The Craft Junction, the brainchild of community arts practitioner Kate Wood, has opened up a class in the Nantymoel Mem in a bid to allow more people to try their hand at a variety of arts including watercolours, acrylics and drawing.
Kate explains:
“Since I set up The Craft Junction in Bridgend town centre, I have seen numbers steadily grow and we now have more than 70 children attend sessions each week. Over the years we have been lucky to have the support of volunteers and one of those volunteers, Joe, had the ambition to take the sessions to Ogmore Vale!
“We want to give children the opportunity to attend an afterschool club that isn’t focussed on sport and these sessions do just that! We are happy with the initial interest and would love to have more youngsters come and give the sessions a go.”
The Craft Junction has been supported with its expansion to Nanytmoel thanks to a £1,600 grant from local energy company, Pennant Walters. The funding from Pennant Walters is from a fund linked to the construction of the new, but standalone, Pant y Wal Extension Wind Farm, adjacent to Ogwr Valley.
Kate added:
“We have great ambition for the sessions in Nantymoel and, if demand continues, we will look to put on further sessions. Each term we tend to have a theme which we centre activities on and the arts and crafts the children partake in cover the whole spectrum.
“We are grateful for the money from the windfarm fund which has allowed us to cover venue hire, materials and staffing costs so that we can bring this new offering to the valley.
“We encourage anyone who wants to give the sessions a go to please come along – the more the merrier!”
The Craft Junction runs each Thursday between 6 – 7pm in the Nantymoel Mem. Costs are £6 per session. For further information please visit here.
Pennant Walters managing director, Dale Hart, commented:
“It’s wonderful that this venture has not only brought something new to the local community but has also provided employment to Joe.
“It’s great to see an afterschool club that allows youngsters to get creative and the benefits are evident. Art is well known for helping youngsters to have a creative outlet and we hope that many more people will continue to benefit for years to come.
“Our wind energy project community fund exists to make a difference to the local communities in which we work and we’re happy this money will benefit so many people directly.”
