Community Pulls Together to Keep Children Fit and Fed This Summer

Children in Penrhiwceiber will be fit and fed throughout the summer holidays thanks to a community partnership between St Winifred’s Church, the Lee Garden Pools, local businesses and the UK charity Street Games.

The Fit and Fed project exists to offer children and young people free opportunities to have fun, get physical and eat healthily during the school holidays. The project aims to tackle food poverty, isolation, and inactivity, all of which have been identified as key challenges for families in under-resourced communities.

Every Thursday this summer volunteers will support children and young from across Penrhiwceiber and the surrounding areas. The team will provide meals to children enjoying free activities in the local Lee Gardens pool.

Diane Locke, Trustee of the Lee Gardens Pool, said, “All the things we do meet a community need. We know lots of children don’t go away so the pool opening gives them something to look forward to.

We work in teams, and we have people on the ground and in the kitchen. Our volunteers are great, we just put a rota on the table and it always gets filled.

What’s really lovely is that at the end of the season we’ll have people offer us swimwear they know won’t fit next year so that someone else can benefit. People are always incredibly generous.

Fit and Fed is a partnership project between the church and the Lee Gardens Pool, and we do activities throughout the year. We do activities in the nearby field at half term, and we use the church hall if it’s raining.

Here community means something, we’re all pulling together to support each other be it the Mums and Prams Group, the Walking Group or Armistice Club.

When the pit closed people said that this village would be die, but people adapt and pull together to look out for each other. There’s a real sense of community spirit here.”

Fr Matthew Gibbon, Cynon Valley South Ministry Area Leader, said, “Penrhiwceiber is a brilliant example of a classic tight knit community where people pull together to do what needs to be done. It has traditionally been an under resourced area, but they are rich in love and genuine community spirit.

At the heart of the Christian faith is a call to love our neighbours and care for those in need. Through the Fit and Fed project, we are living out that call in a very real and practical way by ensuring that no child goes hungry, and every child feels valued.

As it says in Matthew’s Gospel ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink’.

We are proud to stand alongside our community partners to share God’s love through action and service.”

Fit and Fed is more than just meals and games, it’s a lifeline for families, a sign of hope for a community, and a powerful reminder that when we come together in love, we can make a lasting difference.