Name: Nerys Burton
Role: Capel Seion Youth and Community Development Officer
Location: Drefach, Cwm Gwendraeth
Website: www.hebrondrefach.org
Hwb Hebron Drefach
Can you tell us a little about your organisation, what inspired you to start, and its role within the local community?
We wanted to try to influence a way of life. That was the starting point for our attempt at forging a new future for Hebron - the old chapel vestry in Cwm Gwendraeth.
The vestry was owned by Capel Seion, Drefach. We decided that a fresh chapter in its history necessitated a new name; and we decided on Hwb Hebron. It’s no longer a rundown building; it’s a café and a media training ground too!
And although a new adventure is dawning at Hwb Hebron, I think the link to past traditions is evident too. The Sunday School activities which once flourished at Hebron were also all about nourishing and enriching community life.
How has the UK SPF supported your organisation and what specific improvements or changes have you been able to make with the funding?
Thanks to the funding from the UK SPF Sustainable Communities Fund, 2022-2025, an industrial kitchen has been installed, funding from UK SPF 2024- 2026 broadcast equipment has been purchased for Hwb Hebron.
Our clear vision is to be a meaningful resource that will benefit a whole community.
Securing funding from UK SPF fund to make Hwb Hebron a reality has been transformative and the support we had from the team at Carmarthenshire Council has been fantastic, and we’ve got a lot to thank them for.
Regenerating Hebron has provided opportunities for local business, and we’d like to continue to stimulate the local economy in the future too. As the Hwb aims to teach media skills, we hope to see some of our young people working in the creative industries. In this area, we’ve got a strong tradition of producing individuals who have excelled culturally.
This is how we hope Hwb Hebron will realise it’s vision of ‘influencing a way of life’ – by bringing past traditions and values to the fore in planning for the future.
What impact has this project had on the local community so far and how have they responded to the services/improvements you've made?
A local teenage girl recently came to one of the youth club’s first events. One of her family members has additional needs, and she’d popped in for a bit of a break. She sat at the piano – something she’d not had the opportunity to do before. It was a chance for her to relax, and she smiled the most fantastic smile.
I think this example highlights one of our main aims at Hwb Hebron; to plug the gap between the opportunities that some individuals come by naturally but allude many others.
So, from luncheon clubs to community classes, and from building youngsters' media skills to events promoting health and well-being, it’s all going to be happening at Hwb Hebron.
I think poverty lurks beneath the surface of many rural communities, and several of Hwb Hebron’s benefactors feel that the need to give every individual the opportunity to be part of their community, is greater than ever.
