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rachel pitman

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http://therootsfoundation.wales

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Easter activities 2025

Easter activities 2025

Our Easter 2025 activities are taking place from Monday 14 April to Friday 25 April.

Our activities are open to current members and care experienced children and young people. Expect a welcoming, friendly atmosphere and lots of fun!

Please get contact Danielle if you would like to join in – danielle@roots.wales or give us a call on (01792) 584254.

We would like to extend our huge thanks to the Co-op Community Fund for funding our Easter activities.

Take a look at our schedule below for activities and age restrictions:

Monday 14 April, 4pm – 6pm (age 12 years and over)

Board games and fake away

Wednesday 16 April, 2pm – 4pm (age 12 years and under)

Soft play at Funky Fun House

Thursday 17 April, 2pm – 4pm (all ages welcome)

Easter egg scavenger hunt

Tuesday 22 April, 2pm (age 12 years and over)

Bunkers Mini Golf

Thursday 24 April, 3pm – 4pm (age 12 years and under) and 4pm – 5pm (age 12 years and over)

Circus Eruption – circus skills

Friday 25 April, 10am – 4pm (all ages welcome – under 12s to be accompanied by an adult)

Visit to Pembrey Country Park

Download Roots Easter Activities 2025 schedule

Our new memorial bench – a tribute to carers who’ve passed

Our new memorial bench – a tribute to carers who’ve passed

We are proud to announce that a new memorial bench to honour carers who have passed away has been installed in the Roots garden. 

The beautiful bench bears the names, in loving memory, of Gaynor ‘Nanna’ and Jimmy Blackman, Jonathan ‘Jon’ Daniel, Delyth ‘Nannie’ Griffiths, David Harding, Angela ‘Ang’ Murphy and Mike Squibb.

We’d like to extend our thanks to Chance to Build, based in Swansea, for creating the bench. It now sits pride of place in the centre of the garden and all our members and staff are delighted with it.

Congratulations to Laura!

Congratulations to Laura!

We’d like to congratulate Laura, a member of our youth panel, on securing an apprenticeship at Singleton Day Nursery.

Laura was put forward for the role by our business manager, Mandie.

Well done Laura, we wish you every success in your new role.

Dig Deep garden project in full swing thanks to our members, funders and supporters

Dig Deep garden project in full swing thanks to our members, funders and supporters

Young people, carers and staff at Roots have started a new project to transform our garden at the Hut, this spring. 

Starting on 2 April, our hardworking members have been busy painting planters in vibrant Roots colours, turning over the soil and planting seeds in readiness for a blooming summer.

The first session of the project was enjoyed by everyone who attended, and we look forward to continuing this fun and exciting transformation over the coming weeks.

Special thanks to our funders and supporters

Our gratitude goes to the Pobl Group, who provided a £950 grant to fund our garden project.

We would also like to extend our thanks to The Range, Cwmdu who helped us source the items for the garden and gifted us a discount on the items purchased. 

None of this would be possible without the generous support of our funders, supporters and members – thank you!

A visit from the High Sheriff of West Glamorgan

A visit from the High Sheriff of West Glamorgan

It was a pleasure to welcome the High Sheriff of West Glamorgan, Melanie James JP, to Roots on 20 March.

The High Sheriff met with our young people at the Hut, and explained all about her role and responsibilities. The High Sheriff provided Roots with a ‘Bleed Control Kit’ – an emergency kit that helps stop severe bleeding and save lives. The High Sheriff has championed the provision of Bleed Control Kits over her time in office and has helped make 300 kits publicly available across West Glamorgan.

Our young people asked some very impressive and insightful questions during the High Sheriff’s visit, proving how thoughtful and considerate they are. 

Thank you High Sheriff for your time and your warmth towards all who attended.

Find out more about the High Sheriff of West Glamorgan.

Roots wins a place on Swansea services framework

Roots wins a place on Swansea services framework

We are delighted to announce that following our tender submission in December 2024, Roots has been successfully awarded a place on the Swansea Council Framework Agreement for Young Person Related Support. 

This inclusion on the framework of service providers allows us to continue to deliver best in class supported living accommodation and to support our young people to build on their strengths, develop their independent living skills and reach their potential. 

We look forward to continuing our excellent relationship with Swansea Council, who have shown their trust in us with this decision.

Angela Murphy

Angela Murphy

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend, Angela Murphy. Angela was a part of the Roots family for many years, joining us along with her husband Andrew after becoming carers to their grandchildren, Max and Niamh. 

Angela’s contribution to the life of Roots was greatly valued by us all. She regularly enjoyed attending the carers coffee mornings, and was a huge support to fellow carers.

We at Roots are going to miss Angela very much, and we send our love, support and condolences to Andrew, Max and Niamh. 

Winter fundraising events

Winter fundraising events

Over the winter we held two successful events to raise money to support young people’s activities at Roots – with the fantastic support and contributions from our young people and carers.

We’d like to thank carers, Pam and Sue, our young people and their families for all their help – without which these events would not have been possible.

Christmas Craft Stall at The Marquis Arms

Our craft stall at the Marquis Arms annual Christmas fair on 30 November raised £180 through selling crafts made by our young people and carers. Thank you to everyone for your contributions, and to the Marquis Arms for hosting us.

Christmas Jumble Sale

Our Christmas jumble sale took place on 8 December at the Roots centre. It featured stalls selling toys, clothes, arts and crafts. The event raised £131 to support our young people. We are grateful to everyone who contributed items and gave their time to make the event a success.

Carers’ Reunion

Carers’ Reunion

We were delighted to welcome carers past and present to our carers’ reunion coffee morning on 13 November 2024 at the Roots centre..

It was a great opportunity to reconnect with carers who had not attended Roots for some time, to catch up and share experiences, and support one another. 

Thanks to everyone who helped organise the event – particularly our Carers Advisory Panel – and to everyone who attended. An enjoyable time was had by all!