Children’s charity Barnardo’s Cymru has received a donation of £2,000 from the Amazon fulfilment centre in Swansea to support its local services following the impact of COVID-19.
The staff and volunteers at Barnardo’s Bays+ Leaving Care Service received a £1,000 cash donation and a donation of tablets, phones and WiFi routers worth £1,000 from the Amazon team to help increase the reach of its services across the region.
The Bays+ Leaving Care service is run by Barnardo’s Cymru in partnership with Swansea Council and provides confidential help, advice and support for young people leaving care and young people who are homeless.
The donation is part of a longstanding relationship between Amazon and Barnardo’s. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon donated £10,000 to Barnardo’s to help the charity during the early stages of lockdown.
In late 2019, Amazon donated £30,000 to Barnardo’s and hosted STEM Christmas parties for children supported by the charity in dozens of Amazon buildings across the UK.
Speaking on the donation, General Manager at Amazon Swansea, Chris Law, said: “The team at Amazon is passionate about supporting the young people in our community and we jumped at the chance to make this donation to Bays+ Leaving Care Service. The work they do is needed now more than ever and they have our full support as they continue to have a positive impact on young people across Swansea.”
Kelly Aherne, Assistant Director for Barnardo’s Cymru Western Bay, added: “The impact of COVID-19 continues to be deeply felt by young people in the Swansea community and it’s fantastic to get this support once again from the Amazon team. The financial and product donations are hugely appreciated by everyone at Bays+ Leaving Care Service and Barnardo’s and will enable us to continue offering services to the young people who need us most.”
The phones, tablets and WiFi access will help young people stay in touch with their Barnardo’s support worker and with friends and family. Tablets are also helping young people to keep up with school or college work and apply for courses where the content is being delivered either partly or entirely digitally.
Staff have been able to recommend safe websites such as Voices from Care and others who are running virtual social events and wellbeing apps to support young people’s mental health.
Community donations are one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19.
Amazon is providing disadvantaged students with online STEM courses as well as teaming up with charity partner Magic Breakfast and delivering 1.4 million healthy breakfasts to families around the UK.
