This prestigious award recognises outstanding fundraising achievements that have made a significant and lasting impact on communities in Wales, and we are honoured that our campaign to build the Trethomas Life Centre has been acknowledged at a national level.

A Remarkable Journey

In early 2025, The Parish Trust was faced with an unexpected and deeply challenging moment in its history: we were asked to vacate our former headquarters at short notice, placing much of our vital community work at risk. Rather than seeing this as the end, we chose to see it as an opportunity to grow, expand, and start a new chapter. It hasn’t been an easy ride for us, but nonetheless the end result has been worth the challenge.

We launched an ambitious campaign to raise the funds needed to renovate, and relaunch a permanent home for the charity: a building that would serve as some sort of base for us, but also expand what was possible for our community. In just six months, thanks to the incredible generosity of local people, trusts and foundations, corporate supporters, and the sheer determination of our team, we raised the money required to turn this vision into reality.

What followed was a five-month building programme that transformed the formerly derelict Bryn Hall OAP centre into the Trethomas Life Centre, a vibrant, multi-purpose space now serving as the beating heart of our charitable operations.

A Centre With Purpose

The Trethomas Life Centre (TLC) now plays host to a wide range of projects that make a daily difference to people’s lives:

• Youth and children’s programmes providing safe, structured, values-led activities
• Activities that directly address poverty
• Wellbeing initiatives addressing loneliness, mental health, and community resilience
• Volunteering programmes that build confidence, skills, and friendships
• Space for the local community to gather, grow, and support one another

The success of the fundraising campaign was not measured purely in financial terms, but in the trust, belief, and shared vision of an entire community coming together to protect and grow a charity they value.

It is this incredible groundswell of support, and the scale and speed of delivery that we believe contributed to our selection as Fundraiser of the Year.

Celebrating With the Sector

Our Chief Executive, Rev. Dean Aaron Roberts, attended the awards ceremony in Cardiff alongside two of our trustees, Rose Llewellyn and Liz Blacker. The event brought together charity leaders from across Wales, and was a celebration of the voluntary sector who are doing incredible work across Wales in very trying circumstances.

During the evening, our team had the privilege of meeting Jane Hutt MS, as well as David Holdsworth, Chief Executive of His Majesty’s Charity Commission for England and Wales, whose leadership and commitment to good governance across the sector is widely recognised. The opportunity to share the story of The Parish Trust with such esteemed figures in the third sector was an unforgettable moment of encouragement and recognition.

“This award is the icing on the cake after months of tireless work, countless acts of generosity, and the belief that our community deserves a centre of its own. The building and opening of the TLC is a sign of what can happen when people pull together,” said Rev. Dean Aaron Roberts.

“We are deeply grateful to WCVA, the judging panel, and all those who continue to support The Parish Trust as we seek to serve our communities to bring life in all its fullness.”

Thank you to everyone who made this moment possible. This award belongs to the whole community.

Rev. Dean Aaron Roberts, Chair of Trustees said,

The accreditation as an Investing in Volunteers Charity is the result of nearly two years’ hard work that has been put in by staff, (both present and some former staff) who have been driven by their passion to make volunteering at the charity a fulfilling and purposeful experience. The Board of Trustees are extremely grateful for the written work they have done, as well as the encouragement and support they have shown towards the volunteers, and also in their dealings with the Assessor over the last two years. This is yet another big achievement for The Parish Trust, and continues to show that the charity is serious about growth, development, and fulfilling its core mission to make our world a better place.

Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organisations involving volunteers.   Investing in Volunteers aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience for all volunteers and demonstrates that organisations value the enormous contribution made by their volunteers.  Investing in Volunteers is delivered by the three national volunteering infrastructure bodies Volunteer Scotland, Volunteer Now in Northern Ireland and Wales Council for Voluntary Action. Together they enable organisations across the UK to achieve the award.

The Parish Trust was assessed against six quality areas and proved to excel in all aspects of working with its volunteers.

Investing in Volunteers is unique in that it is the only standard that focuses on volunteers.  It is based on the following six quality areas:

1. Vision for Volunteering
2. Planning for Volunteers
3. Volunteer inclusion
4. Recruiting and welcoming volunteers
5. Supporting volunteers
6. Valuing and developing volunteers

The Parish Trust has received a detailed assessment report, outlining how the charity was assessed, and the elements of the charity’s work which have secured the achievement. In it are included quotes from volunteers themselves, who describe their experience of volunteering at the charity:

“The Parish Trust is like a family – many of us live alone and we come and volunteer to be with other people because we all help each other when we can.”

“We have the opportunity of being able to discuss new ideas or changes to the way they work which makes us feel a real part of The Parish Trust.”

“I had a neighbour who didn’t do much during the day so I dragged her along once to come and help and she is still here now after 12 months and loves getting out of the house and helping.”

Further information about the Standard can be found on investinginvolunteers.co.uk  or through the WCVA

The Standard will enhance volunteer management and is rigorous but is designed to be simple to implement and not to generate large amounts of paperwork. 

This grant is going to help The Parish Trust to set up a new project called CAM, which stands for Community Assisted Mentoring. This project is designed to develop the skills and experience of members of the community, whilst also enhancing the skills of the volunteers leading the groups. 

We are very excited to get CAM up and running. We will be updating on our social media as we begin to get things going. To give you all a better idea of what we will be doing as part of CAM, here’s a summary…

• CV Enhancing Classes
• Welsh Language Development Coffee Mornings
• Befriending
• Work-Placement Opportunities on Caffi Caredig
• Technology and Digital Literacy Lessons

We feel that these classes and groups will really help the community to develop their skills and learn new things that will help them in life. 

We are keen to get volunteers on board who are keen to help the community in a face-to-face capacity. Would you like to get involved with CAM as a volunteer? You can sign up here.

The Parish Trust is extremely grateful to the grant donors who made this possible. We can’t wait to update you all on how this project progresses in the near future! Watch this space! 

The Caffi Caredig (Welsh for “Kind Cafe”) will be a mobile, not-for-profit coffee and snack bar. An ethical social enterprise, it will will reduce food waste, cut down on plastic, help the environment, and ensure that proceeds go to the work of helping others through the work of The Parish Trust.

An exciting menu will be offering customers a fine selection of proper, fairly traded and ethical coffee. The Caffi Caredig will be partnering with Manumit Coffee Roasters who offer dignity and hope to survivors of modern slavery through training & employment. Their coffee is roasted by men and women who have suffered horrendous exploitation at the hands of modern slave traders but are now rebuilding their lives.

In addition to amazing coffee, other hot and cold drinks will be available for purchase, as well as a plethora of sweet and savoury items. Some food to be used in the Caffi Caredig will be food that has been diverted away from landfill through the CARE Project, another project under the umbrella of The Parish Trust. The food will be perfectly edible to eat, but due to its short shelf life, food suppliers have to discard it due to the lead times involved in getting food from the warehouse to the supermarket.

Menus are currently being drawn up and will include hot foods such as jacket potatoes and paninis, as well as cakes and other pastry items. Sustainable and eco-friendly packaging will be used to further cut down on waste and damage to the environment.

This new project has also created training opportunities, and will hopefully provide further employment in the future as the Caffi Caredig develops. Elys Rees has been working with The Parish Trust to develop the Caffi Caredig, and is currently doing his Level 3 in Catering and Hospitality Apprenticeship with the charity through the Profectus Programme. Speaking about the launch of Caffi Caredig, he said,

“Well, the secret project has finally been revealed, now the public can share The Parish Trust’s eager wait for the opening of Caffi Caredig. There’s still some preparation work to be done but it will be well worth the wait, just you see!”

Speaking about the launch, Rev. Dean Aaron Roberts, the Chair of Trustees of The Parish Trust said,

“We are delighted that all the planning and preparation for this exciting project is finally coming to fruition. We’ve had lots of challenges along the way, not least the continuing lockdowns which have delayed the start of the project. Looking forward, the future is brighter and the Caffi Caredig will be an excellent asset to the charity as it seeks to carry out its aims and objectives. We are proud of all that has been achieved through what has been a significant year.

Now, as restrictions start to ease and society starts to explore post-lockdown life once again, we will be glad to offer a place for people to come and enjoy good, ethical food and drink at the heart of the community. We’re hoping that the Caffi Caredig will become a place for socialising, raising awareness of the charity and its aims, as well as being a host for various pop up activities that will enrich and benefit the general public.

We’re currently developing and planning some workshops and other informative and social events that will be run from the Caffi Caredig which we hope will be of interest and benefit to many. Of course, we are awaiting lockdowns and restrictions to ease enough for us to hold these events, but we are committed to doing as much as we can as soon as possible.

We’re also grateful to our Grant Funders who have believed in us and supported this project. Thanks go to the WCVA, United Welsh Housing Association, Moondance Foundation, Viridor, Community Foundation Wales, and Caerphilly County Borough Council for the investment they have made in us and the support they have shown throughout the planning stages. We couldn’t have done this without them.”

The Caffi Caredig will be based at The Parish Trust Headquarters, which is located at St. Thomas’ Church in Trethomas for the time being. However, in time the Caffi Caredig, built by British company, Revival Trailers will be able to go further afield. This will allow The Parish Trust to reach an even wider group of people for special events and festivals.

You can keep up to date with the progress of the project on our Facebook Page, or by following the dedicated Instagram account for the Caffi Caredig at @CaffiCaredig

The First Minister wanted to personally thank the army of volunteers that have helped the charity to provide food parcels, prescription delivery, and pastoral care to over 4,000 people since it was founded by Rev. Dean Aaron Roberts, the Chair of Trustees of the BMMR Parish Trust, and the Rector and Vicar of the parishes of Bedwas, Machen, Michaelston-y-Fedw and Rudry.

The First Minister arrived at 11 o’clock in the morning and was introduced to a selection of volunteers who have been giving their time and commitment in various ways through the different jobs that need doing in order to run the CARE Project, from call handling to delivering food.

After being introduced to the volunteers, the First Minister was shown how a food parcel is made up, and how it is tailored to the service users. The First Minister was impressed at the quantity of food that goes into a single food parcel. The First Minister spent an hour visiting the CARE Project, and was thanked by the Reverend Dean Aaron Roberts for coming, who presented him with a hamper of cheese as a thank you gift. The visit concluded with a session of interviews with news outlets and other media outside St. Thomas’ Church.

Speaking of the CARE Project, First Minister Mark Drakeford said:

Though the coronavirus pandemic has been a difficult time for us all, our volunteers in Wales have shown themselves to be a light in the dark.

Coming here today and meeting Reverend Dean and the team of volunteers has been a privilege. The CARE project is an impressive endeavour made up of selfless people who responded promptly and with warm hearts, despite trying circumstances.

I want to thank everyone at CARE and all of the volunteers across Wales for the invaluable work and support you have provided in the emergency response to coronavirus.

The Reverend Dean Aaron Roberts said:

We are delighted that the First Minister has visited us at the BMMR Parish Trust CARE Project. This visit has been a huge morale boost for our entire 100 volunteer strong workforce, who are of all ages, and have been providing practical assistance to an area covering around 15,000 people since March.

This has been a great encouragement that the difference our volunteers are making is being recognised and supported by the Government both locally and nationally. We have received incredible support from the local area with donations of money and food, but also of time and energy to ensure people are looked after.

We have also been greatly encouraged by a grant from the Welsh Government and other charitable organisations who saw our work as being vital towards mitigating both the direct and indirect consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

Our charity will now prioritise looking at building resilience in our communities and continuing to offer practical assistance as we adjust our lives to the new normality we are about to discover as the nation seeks to recover from lockdown.

Also in attendance were local dignitaries from the Caerphilly County Borough Council, as well as Wayne David MP and Hefin David, Member of the Senedd.

ENDS.

To get help, please call our telephone line on 02921 880 212 option 0, or go to https://bmmr.church/care

To volunteer with the CARE Project, please go to https://bmmr.church/care and follow the on screen instructions.

Images by Julie Nobes.