Rob's Weekly Round-Up

09 June 2023

Dear colleagues, 

I hope this message finds you well and you are enjoying the fine weather.  

This week has seen the Council celebrate two groups of people whose contribution to the community is invaluable. It is both Carers Week and Volunteers Week.  

The Council has celebrated Carers Week for many years. The national campaign is designed to raise awareness of caring, the challenges unpaid carers face, and recognise the contribution they make to their communities. The 2023 campaign is titled Recognising and Supporting Carers in the Community.  

There are nearly 13,000 unpaid carers in the Vale of Glamorgan. These are people caring without pay for an ill, frail or disabled family member or friend. In many cases, without the support of unpaid carers they would no longer be able to live independently or in their own homes, and their needs would become more complex.    

Our Adult Services team offers a range of support to people in these circumstances and have been running events all week. As well as this, as a Council we have been sharing information and positive stories of those who care for others to help ensure these individuals access the support on offer via the Council and its partners and just as importantly get the recognition they deserve. I’d like to thank everyone that supports this incredibly important work and remind any colleagues who may have caring responsibilities outside of work that the Council has a carers policy and that by registering your details you may be entitled to greater flexibility in your role to help you better balance the demands of work and life. 

The harsh reality of recent years in public service is that we can no longer provide all of the services that we would like to and once did. What has been incredibly heartening over this time is seeing the growth of volunteering groups across the Vale. This week has also been Volunteers Week and to end the week we are celebrating the work of both individuals and groups who give up their time to support others in their community.  

On Wednesday I visited the Penarth Food Pod with the Leader of the Council, Cllr Burnett. The food pod was established by the Council in partnership with the Residents Association, but simply would not function without the contribution of the selfless volunteers who give up their time to staff it. The food pod offers residents tinned and perishable goods, toiletries, and hygiene products on a pay-as you-can basis. However, the support given by the volunteers goes so much further than this. Increasingly they are sourcing and managing the collection of food and they are often a vital point of contact for many residents, they give out information of other services in the area, and at other times are simply a friendly face to talk to. Speaking with three of the volunteers this week, Isobel, Marianne and Sandra was inspiring and a real reminder of how often our services operate as just one part of much wider networks of community and third sector groups. 

There are so many other great examples of volunteers giving their time, energy, and skills to support services and spaces in their community.  

The Llantwit Food Project’s More Than Food Hub opened at the CF61 Community Centre last year. At the hub volunteers and public servants work side by side to offer advice on a range of topics including housing, mental and physical health, finances, benefits and entitlements, healthy activities and more. The Hub takes place alongside the Chatty Café, the St Athan Clothes Bank and the GVS Foodshare Pantry all of which are run by friendly volunteers. 

There are more than 30 ‘friends’ groups who help maintain and improve parks and green spaces across the Vale. Their contribution is invaluable to giving residents and visitors such great outdoor spaces to enjoy, and in recent years to the biodiversity and Project Zero initiatives that are helping us tackle the nature and climate emergencies.  

For several years now five of the Vale’s libraries have been run by volunteers. While well supported by the Council’s Learning and Skills team, it is the contribution of these groups that has ensured the libraries have remained open and able to provide a service greatly valued by those that use it.   

There are countless youth groups across the county run by volunteers who give up their time to ensure children and young people have opportunities to play and socialise. Hundreds of volunteers give up their time to support sports clubs to help people of all ages maintain healthy and active lives. The Vale 50+ Strategy Forum brings together a group of volunteers that work to ensure the voices of older people in the Vale are heard. 

These are only a handful of examples of how volunteers give so much to the communities and organisations that they support. 

As a Council we will never achieve our objective of supporting strong communities with a bright future unless we adequately support the voluntary sector. The Council works closely with Glamorgan Voluntary Services and it is now more important than ever that we encourage more people to give a little bit of time to the wonderful organisations that make such a positive difference. In February Cabinet agreed a new Employee Volunteer policy as part of our People Strategy. When this comes into effect shortly it will allow all colleagues to volunteer during working hours. This will not only add tens of thousands of hours of volunteer capacity to the Vale but also give colleagues the opportunity to get to know some of our partner organisations, develop their professional skills in challenging environments, and gain new experiences. I will share more information about the volunteering policy once Cabinet have approved it formally in the coming weeks. 

We have been showcasing some of the work I’ve mentioned here alongside that of other great groups on our social media feeds today. If you’d like to find opportunities to volunteer in your area or think you could work to help support volunteers as part of your role then take a look to find out more. 

The Council’s Telecare service is another great example of public servants and volunteers working together. The Telecare team recently partnered with St John’s Ambulance for its new Falls Response Service. The volunteer led St John Ambulance have now allocated a new state-of-the-art hybrid vehicle for use when attending to Vale Telecare users. The service is always developing new ways of supporting its clients and this is just one of the ways it provides piece of mind to older people and their families.  

We are always looking for new ideas for how to deliver on our commitments to the Vale and you may have already seen this week that the Project Zero Board is inviting proposals for projects that directly support our work to tackle climate change. These could include project match funding, training, feasibility studies, consultancy, equipment, engagement activities and other project costs. Anything that will help support Project Zero will be considered. If you have a new idea, or an existing piece of work that could be expanded, then get your application in before 3 July. 

In my message last week, I mentioned the Council’s continued support for Pride. On Tuesday I called in to see members of the GLAM network at their meeting to plan for Pride Cymru on 17 June. As always, we will be taking part in the parade. If you’d like to join colleagues at Pride Cymru, then you can register your interest now. The Council is also supporting the organisers of Cowbridge Pride, and it was great to join the coffee morning held at the Town hall last Saturday morning . There is a week of events planned in the town.. The organisers are looking for help with stewarding the march on Saturday 24 June. If you are interested just let one of our GLAM reps know. 

Finally, I also mentioned last week how great the performances of many of our schools had been at Gwyl Fach y Fro. Following up on this, pupils at Ysgol Bro Morgannwg shone on an even bigger stage at last week’s Urdd Eisteddfod. Pupils picked up five first place prizes, one second, and one third. Llongyfarchiadau i bawb. Pupils from Ysgol Pen y Garth, Ysgol Sant Baruc, and Cadoxton Primary School also competed and I know many others went along to be part of the celebration of Welsh culture. Diolch yn fawr to all those colleagues across our schools that made this possible for the children.  

Thanks as always to you all for your hard work this week. Diolch yn fawr i chi i gyd.  

Rob.