Swansea City donate £5,000 to main charity partner Hafal
Swansea City has made a £5,000 donation to the club’s new charity partner, Hafal, to help the mental health organisation build on its vital work in the community.
Hafal, which is Welsh for equal, is the principle organisation in Wales working with people recovering from serious mental illness, as well their families, friends and carers.
The Swans recently announced Hafal as the club's main charity partner for the rest of the season.
Every day their 350 staff and 100 volunteers provide help to over 4,000 people affected by mental health and their families and carers across Wales and includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other diagnoses which typically involve psychosis or high levels of care or hospital treatment.
With their head office based in Swansea, Hafal is unique in that it is run by the people that it supports – those with mental illness, their families, friends and carers.
Working together, the club not only aims to raise awareness of the charity and mental health in general by reaching a new, young audience who follow the Swans, but also assist Hafal in establishing drop in sessions at the stadium and provide matchday support for fans attending fixtures at the Liberty.
Hafal will also work closely with the club’s Community Trust on developing mental health projects and initiatives to benefit the local community.
A Hafal spokesperson said: “Our promise is that ‘no-one in Wales needs to be alone’. This means that Hafal’s services across Wales will never turn away anyone in our client group.
“To every person in our client group who seeks our help, we promise lasting, friendly contact through membership of Hafal and through our online community Clic, by email, social media, phone or in person, depending on what is the most suitable and practical.’’
Swansea City chairman, Trevor Birch, added: “One in four of us will experience a mental health problem every year. That’s hundreds of footballers and thousands of football fans, including those who regularly visit the Liberty Stadium to support the Swans.
“It’s important as a football club that we use our popularity and influence to raise awareness of mental health issues and encourage people to talk about any concerns they may have. Professional organisations like Hafal are there to help and we want to utilise that expertise to assist our supporters.
“Hafal’s promise that ‘no-one needs to be alone’ resonates with the club’s belief that we are all in this together and we are stronger with everyone supporting each other. No-one should stand alone.’’
Further details on how the club and Hafal will be working together will follow.
For more information on Hafal or to access their services, visit hafal.org; email hafal@hafal.org, call 01792 816600 or follow on Facebook and Twitter.
You can donate to Hafal and help provide essential support and services to people with a serious mental illness and their families, friends and carers in Wales.
Whether your gift to Hafal is £10 or £10,000, it will go towards making a big difference to people’s lives.
You can donate HERE.
