Community Trust celebrates 10 years

This year, the Swans Community Trust celebrates its 10th year as a registered charity and to celebrate, we will be featuring an array of inspiring stories from the past decade.

As the Swans’ registered charity, the Community Trust is at the heart of the club and at the heart of our local communities.

For over a decade, the Community Trust has been passionately working to improve not only people’s opportunities to take part in physical activity, but to improve their lives.

In 10 years, the Trust has come a long way.

Starting off with a bag of footballs in a broom cupboard at the Vetch, the charity’s reach and impact has gone far beyond what anyone could ever have dreamt of when the Swans’ old Football in the Community department – which had been operating for numerous years – was formally registered as a charity back in 2008.

“Even before the charity was established, the club had a community department called Football in the Community which was launched more than 20 years ago and was led by Alan Curtis,” said head of Community Trust Helen Elton.

“The Community Trust was registered a decade ago and the charity was tiny. 

“With just three staff, it concentrated its efforts on just a couple of geographic areas, mainly Swansea and Baglan.

“We now have 29 staff working across South Wales, from Rhondda Cynon Taff to the Irish Sea.”

With an array of projects, each with its own aims, the Trust is able to make a range of sports accessible to those living within South West Wales.

From Down’s Syndrome football to trampolining, hockey and tennis, we bring sport to the masses – but we don’t stop there.

In addition to sport, we deliver a range of classroom-based sessions at all levels, from primary school right up to higher education, as well as running projects offering people the chance to gain qualifications, work experience and sustainable employment.

“The Community Trust has developed from solely being a deliverer of community football sessions and holiday soccer camps to our current position,” added Elton.

“It now runs youth engagement projects, employability and education projects that span subject matters such as enterprise, confidence building, youth engagement and health.

“We also have an excellent inclusion project, which is working to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.”

To celebrate a decade of changing lives, we will be sharing success stories from over the years to celebrate the work of the Community Trust, its staff, volunteers and participants leading up to the official anniversary in November.

Giving an intimate look at what the Trust does day in, day out, the campaign will bring you the stories from the likes of Curtis and Lee Trundle, plus key members of staff who have been instrumental in taking us to where we are today.

We will also share inspiring tales of participants who, by engaging with the Trust, have gone on to achieve truly great things.

Whether it be conquering personal barriers to securing employment, or developing their sporting prowess to such a point that they’ve gone on to represent their country in their chosen field, we will be celebrating a variety of achievements from the past 10 years.

These community champions are at the core of what we do and we look forward to sharing their stories with you, just as we look forward to more years of changing lives in our local community.

“The future for the Trust is very exciting,” Elton said.

“We can see that the demand for our provision is growing and our ability to meet that demand is improving and I am really looking forward to seeing what the next 10 years will bring.”

For more information about the Community Trust, click HERE. Stay up to date with the Community Trust, their events and sessions by following them on Twitter HERE or Facebook HERE.