Hanfod Cymru, the grant-making charity has published its first annual report, and having been established and launched in April 2017, there has been much to celebrate during this, its first year.
Hanfod Cymru’s purpose is to distribute grants to charities working at grass roots level in communities across Wales, who are doing good work in the areas of arts and culture, education beyond the statutory sphere, and social need. During its first year of operation, it has distributed £120,000 in grants to 52 charities the length and breadth Wales.
Commenting today, Deris Williams, Hanfod Cymru Chair, said:
“The publication today of Hanfod Cymru’s first Annual Report is an important mile-stone in the charity’s life, and a means of noting the remarkable success of its first year, with £120,000 distributed in grants amongst 52 charities the length and breadth of Wales.
“Had Hanfod Cymru been able, and wished, to fund every one of the 234 eligible applications it received for grants, it would have distributed in excess of £1.9m. Throughout the year the staff have worked tirelessly to market Hanfod Cymru through positive PR activity, and most particularly by producing weekly short videos of the charities funded by Hanfod Cymru, creating and distributing a regular electronic newsletter to subscribers and meeting County Voluntary Councils across Wales.
“With such a strong record, it was a huge disappointment to the Hanfod Cymru Board to be informed by the Loteri Cymru Board in late March 2018, that it had decided to call in administrators. This was despite Loteri Cymru CIC having a growing customer base and a steadily growing number of weekly players.
“Since Loteri Cymru CIC was its only source of income, the Hanfod Cymru Board decided reluctantly that the charity should be wound up, once its legal and moral obligations have been fulfilled, during summer 2019. It was also the case that it decided that the charity’s staff posts should be closed at the end of May 2018.
“With the publication of this annual report, we wish Hanfod Cymru’s staff well in their future careers, and thank them for all they have done and achieved during the past year.”
The Hanfod Cymru Annual report can be read in full by clicking here to download it as a PDF file