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Wales Online
5 hours ago
- Wales Online
The club that brings together teens, pensioners and refugees to meet and mix
The club that brings together teens, pensioners and refugees to meet and mix Grangetown Boys and Girls Club is getting everyone involved in shared projects The club helps many who face the effects of poverty, isolation, and social change (Image: Rahaf Ali ) At at time when youth services has seen steep cuts, one of Cardiff's few remaining open-access youth centres is working to reconnect communities across generations and cultures. Grangetown Boys and Girls Club offers a range of programmes not only for young children and teenagers but also groups of all ages, many of whom face the effects of poverty, isolation, and social change. 'We're unique in that respect,' said Mathew Salley, development manager at the club. 'Youth provision has been reduced by around 70% across Cardiff due to austerity and the cost-of-living crisis. But we're still here, open to everyone, led by the community.' Mathew, who has worked in the voluntary sector for over 20 years, says the club now operates on an intergenerational model that brings together pensioners, young people, and newer migrant communities. Projects set up by the club range from sports and cooking sessions to gardening, outdoor activities, and volunteer work. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here 'We have a Tuesday group called Made with Love, which is for older residents. On Fridays, we run a session called Cartref, which is the Welsh word for home and is designed to bring together asylum seekers, refugees, and residents,' he said. 'It's not about separating people into groups; it's about getting everyone involved in shared projects.' Mathew stresses the importance of those who are new to the UK in integrating with the community. 'With the political situation at the moment, there's a lot of resentment, it's really important for the guys that I work with to be part of the community straight away', he says. He explains the projects the Grangetown Youth Club provides for refugees and asylum seekers. Article continues below He describes the projects as 'we are not sitting around all day drinking tea we're out in the community, for example we do river cleans with whitewater centre in Cardiff, we helped when storm Darragh flooded the valleys, we get voluntary work right across the border, its important for our people to be involved with the wide community because it helps with improving English and understanding the culture', he reiterates. Recent work with construction firm Wates has helped renovate the centre, including garden clearance, plans for a new kitchen, and improved heating and windows. 'We don't have much funding, so when Wates came in and tidied the place up, it was huge for us,' Mathew explained. 'They even brought volunteers to help clean the garden, which is important because we grow our food and run environmental sessions in the garden.' But for Mathew, the renovations are part of something bigger: rebuilding the kind of community cohesion he remembers growing up in Grangetown and the Cardiff docks. 'I grew up on Alice Street,' he recalled. 'My father was Muslim, my mother Christian. We celebrated Eid and Christmas, and it was all just community. Everyone came together.' The club's approach challenges the modern form of community support, where services for different age groups often don't overlap. 'We want to go back to a simpler approach, just people coming together, through storytelling or just being in the company, so we even do activities where younger people will cook with older people, giving the opportunity to talk about things and to learn. It's about creating a sense of belonging again,' Mathew said. As Grangetown continues to change, with new housing developments and more residents moving in from across the UK, Salley believes it's crucial that new and existing communities meet and mix, rather than remain divided by culture or class. 'There's a strong Welsh-speaking community here, but they're not always involved in projects like this,' he said. 'We want to change that, to bring everyone in, so that when decisions are made, it's done as a collective voice.' Despite limited public funding, the club is backed by the National Lottery's People's Trust and has secured new partnerships that may open employment pathways for residents. As Mathew puts it, the centre is 'small in size but big in purpose.' 'It's not just about helping young people,' he added. 'It's about helping Grangetown remember what it means to be one community.' Article continues below
Wales Online
a day ago
- Wales Online
Safety failures may have led to plane crash that killed Welsh dad
Safety failures may have led to plane crash that killed Welsh dad Safety concerns have emerged after Richard Osman, 40, a Welsh geologist, died when the EgyptAir flight he was on crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on May 19, 2016, weeks after his second child was born Richard Osman, 40, died onboard the commercial flight headed for Cairo from Paris (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE ) A coroner has ordered a review of flight safety procedures after concerns were raised about a plane crash which killed a father-of-two from Wales. Following 40-year-old Richard Osman's death in May 2016 many theories were given as to how the commercial EgyptAir flight headed for Cairo from Paris ended up in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, including accusations of terrorism. Mr Osman, who was from Carmarthen and was living in Jersey at the time of his death with his wife Aurélie Vandeputte and their two children, was one of 66 people who died. There were no survivors. At an inquest at Haverfordwest Coroners' Court heard in May assistant coroner for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire Mark Layton issued a narrative conclusion and has now published a prevention of future deaths report after safety concerns emerged during the inquest. He said: "Richard Osman was a passenger onboard commercial flight MS804 travelling from Paris to Cairo which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on May 19, 2016 following a fire onboard caused by an ignition source of unknown origin most likely associated with the first officer's oxygen supply system, which either resulted from or was fed by an oxygen leak." Mr Layton asked for a full review to be carried out by aviation authorities into cockpit fires and smoke procedures on flights including recognition of an oxygen fire and the cutting off of that oxygen supply, the installation of protective equipment to deal with cockpit fires, a review of the effectiveness of Halon fire extinguishers to deal with onboard fires, and a review of regulations to prevent the use of cigarettes in a cockpit. There were some accusations that someone had been smoking onboard the flight but those accusations were not substantiated. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here Article continues below Mr Osman was a geologist on a business trip on the commercial EgyptAir flight MS804 which had departed the day before the crash during the evening of May 18. The inquest heard the plane crash occurred just two weeks after the birth of his second child. Rugby fan Mr Osman, who was also a keen runner, was "fascinated with gold" and had been voted to become the new chief executive officer of the gold mining firm he worked for just a week before the accident. Ms Vandeputte said she had met her husband onboard a plane "as the sun was rising over the Egyptian desert" and they had married in a ceremony held in three different languages. She told the inquest: "He was flying from Paris where his plane crashed between Greece, Turkey, and Egypt, three countries we loved." She explained how their youngest daughter was just 22 days old on the night of the crash and their eldest was two years old. "Richard was highly committed to his work and had decided to go to Egypt for a few days," she added. Article continues below "He trusted I was strong enough to manage on my own with our young daughters for the few days he could be away." Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here .
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
This is the worst thing about being a new mother. It affects ALL of us... but no-one ever talks about it: KARA KENNEDY
I was just four months pregnant when the requests from friends started. At first I had no idea what they meant. Even after further explanation, I was bemused – and, secretly, more than a little appalled. I'd heard of creating a gift list ahead of wedding, but a 'baby registry' before the birth?
