Latest News

Come and have your say! Splott Community Leisure Hub

Cardiff Council is investigating options for a new Community Leisure Hub in Splott/Tremorfa and you have an opportunity to give your views on what services and activities it should provide.

The Hubs programme is part of the Council’s commitment to invest in neighbourhood facilities and to improve face-to-face customer services.
The community leisure hub project aims to deliver services and activities from a single integrated facility, which will offer high quality and cost effective services for the future.
Please come along to the drop in sessions below to discuss your views with Council staff and fill in a survey about what facilities you and your family would use.

STAR Centre drop-in sessions:
Tuesday 14th May 2013 10 – 12pm
Thursday 16th May. 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Saturday 18th May. 11am – 3pm
Tuesday 21st May. 6pm – 8pm
Thursday 23rd May. 6pm – 8pm

SPLOTT Pool drop-in sessions:
Tuesday 28th May. 6pm – 8pm
Wednesday 29th May. 10am – 12pm
Saturday 1st June. 11am – 3pm
Monday 3rd June. 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Wednesday 5th June. 6pm – 8pm.

C3SC will be present on 28^th May at Splott Pool and on 21st May at Star Leisure Centre.

If you are unable to attend the drop in sessions then you can have your say by filling in the online survey at www.surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/splottcommunityleisurehub
This survey will be available online from the 10th May 2013. The deadline for submitting
surveys is Friday 21st June 2013.
Further consultation will be arranged later in the year, when draft plans for the Hub have been prepared.

If you have any questions or would like the survey in another format, please email Teresa Boyle at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call her on (029) 2087 3184. 

Refugees in Wales: How to foster diversity and access skills

FREE Training Workshops for Employers

Want to make the most of the workforce Wales has to offer? Attract specialist skills and experience from a range of backgrounds?

Refugees who come to Wales to seek safety from war and persecution are a diverse group of people with the right to work in the UK. Having worked in everything from finance to retail, business to academia and the trades, refugees bring myriad skill sets to Wales’ workforce. Despite this wide variety of skills and experience, refugee employment levels fall behind national averages. 

Attend a free employer workshops to:

·        learn how to make the most of the diverse skill pool of refugees living in Wales

·        find out how promoting diversity can enhance your business or organisation

·        receive clear, practical guidance on right-to-work docs and Home Office requirements

·        hear firsthand from refugees working and seeking employment in Wales

Venues and dates

Swansea: Thursday 9th May from 9:00am - 12:30pm
Pembrey 1 Suite, The Dragon Hotel, 39 The Kingsway, Swansea SA1 5LS

Cardiff: Wednesday 22^nd May from 9:00am - 12:30pm
Cardiff City Hall, Cathays Park, Cardiff  CF10 3ND

Newport: Wednesday 5^th June from 9:00am - 12:30pm
Castle Room, The Newport Centre, 1 Kingsway, Newport NP20 1UH

Please contact Caitlin Campbell at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / 0300 200 1269 to book your place.

Biggest ever increase in Welsh foodbank use

Biggest ever increase in welsh foodbank use: 120% rise in numbers turning to foodbanks in last 12 months

UK Foodbank charity The Trussell Trust says this must be a wake-up call.

Trussell Trust foodbanks have seen the biggest rise in numbers given emergency food nationwide since the charity began in 2,000. Over 35,000 people in Wales have received at least three days emergency food from Trussell Trust foodbanks during the last 12 months, more than twice the number helped in 2011-12.

Rising cost of living, static incomes, changes to benefits, underemployment and unemployment have meant increasing numbers of people in Wales have hit a crisis that forces them to go hungry. This dramatic rise in foodbank usage predates April’s welfare reforms, which could see numbers increase further in 2013-14. 

35,919 people received a minimum of three days emergency food from Trussell Trust foodbanks in Wales in 2012-13, compared to 16,204 in 2011-12. Of those helped in 2012-13, 12,625 (35.1 percent) were children. 5,784 people were fed in Cardiff alone with Cardiff foodbank giving out over 53 tonnes of food. Nationally, Trussell Trust foodbanks have given three days emergency food to 346,992 in 2012-13 compared to 128,697 in 2011-12.

The Trussell Trust has seen a 55% increase in the number of foodbanks launched in Wales since April 2012 but has seen a 120% increase in numbers of people given emergency food. Christian charity The Trussell Trust is launching three new foodbanks every week to help meet demand and has launched 345 UK foodbanks in partnership with churches and communities to date.

Trussell Trust Executive Chairman Chris Mould says:

'The sheer volume of people who are turning to foodbanks because they can’t afford food is a wake-up call to the nation that we cannot ignore the hunger on our doorstep. Politicians across the political spectrum urgently need to recognise the real extent of UK food poverty and create fresh policies that better address its underlying causes. This is more important than ever as the impact of the biggest reforms to the welfare state since it began start to take effect. Since April 1^st we have already seen increasing numbers of people in crisis being sent to foodbanks with nowhere else to go.’

He continues:

‘Last year The Trussell Trust estimated that our foodbanks would help 250,000 people in 2012-13, we’ve helped 100,000 more than that. 2012-13 was much tougher for people than many anticipated. Incomes are being squeezed to breaking point. We’re seeing people from all kinds of backgrounds turning to foodbanks: working people coming in on their lunch-breaks, mums who are going hungry to feed their children, people whose benefits have been delayed and people who are struggling to find enough work. It’s shocking that people are going hungry in 21^st century Britain.’

People turn to foodbanks for a range of reasons including low-income, redundancy due to benefit delay, debt and benefit changes. Other reasons included domestic violence, sickness, refused crisis loans, debt and unemployment. Less than five percent of those helped turn to foodbanks due to homelessness. The majority of those helped are working age families.

Foodbanks are community driven with an estimated 30,000 volunteers giving their time across the UK. Over 300 tonnes of food was donated by the public in Wales in 2012-13. Chris Mould adds: ‘Whilst it’s deeply concerning that so many people are facing hunger in the UK, the evident willingness of the public to help their neighbours through foodbanks has prevented thousands of crises escalating into disaster. We regularly hear people say that ‘the foodbank saved my life’ and it’s local communities that make that possible.’

For more on foodbanks, visit www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects

To find out more about Cardiff Foodbank, visit www.cardifffoodbank.org.uk/

Key Findings - Citizen Directed Support

In our Document Library you can now find a report called 'Effective Services for Vulnerable Groups: Citizen Directed Support - Key Findings', and a covering letter from Dr Andrew Goodall, Chair of the Effective Services for Vulnerable Groups Delivery Board.

The report highlights the key findings from the research into Citizen Directed Support undertaken by WCVA (Wales Council for Voluntary Action).

You can read the letter and report here.