Daisy Fresh Wales – Crafting a Brighter Future with Pen y Cymoedd Support
JULY 22nd 2025
When Daisy Fresh Wales first applied for support, they were already creating beautiful, handmade home fragrance products—candles, wax melts, diffusers and room sprays—with a clear artisan spirit and strong focus on quality and safety.
With a Pen y Cymoedd grant of £3,430, the business was able to take its next big step: launching community candle-making workshops. The funding allowed them to purchase essential workshop equipment and invest in marketing to promote the classes across the local area.
“The grant was a great help in getting the project off the ground,” says founder Amy. Over the last 12 months, Daisy Fresh delivered sold-out classes across the Pen y Cymoedd area—including Aberdare, Glynneath, and areas of the Rhondda Valleys. Each class provided not only an opportunity for creative learning and community connection, but also a new income stream and increased brand visibility.
The investment funded:
- A portable wax melting boiler to allow off-site classes
- Thermometers, jugs, aprons, and reusable tools to ensure a quality, sustainable experience
- Marketing materials to promote the workshops effectively
These resources helped Daisy Fresh demonstrate that there is strong demand for hands-on, creative experiences—and it didn’t stop there.
From Side Hustle to Full-Time Success
In October 2024, Amy took the bold step of making Daisy Fresh her full-time business. Since then, she has opened a storefront in Hirwaun, complete with a dedicated candle and craft classroom upstairs. The equipment purchased with the grant is now in regular use for adult candle-making classes and children’s craft sessions during school holidays.
“The classes generated not only much needed income but also brand awareness to help grow Daisy Fresh,” Amy shared.
£3,430 funding awarded / Workshops delivered in multiple communities / All classes sold out / Business now operating full-time and new storefront opened in Hirwaun / New children’s craft sessions launched
We’re proud to have supported Daisy Fresh Wales on their journey from a passion project to a thriving full-time business, bringing creativity, confidence, and community spirit to people across the valleys.
The Fund was established by energy company Vattenfall to benefit the communities hosting the Pen y Cymoedd wind farm across the upper Neath, Afan, Rhondda and Cynon Valleys. It exists to support local people, groups and organisations to invest in themselves, their ideas and their communities.
The Community Fund has a substantial annual budget that is index-linked, meaning it increases in line with inflation. As an example, this equated to around £2.5 million in 2025. The Fund will continue to support communities until 2043, creating long-term opportunities for growth, resilience and positive change.
The Fund is managed by an independent, locally based not-for-profit Community Interest Company. It is overseen by a Board of Directors with strong local connections and delivered by a small but dedicated staff team with extensive community engagement experience. We are here to help ensure the Fund delivers on the vision and priorities of local communities.
Over the next 10 years, the Fund is focusing on investment in people, places and businesses — helping the Valleys to thrive, driving bold ideas, supporting transformation and creating lasting impact for current and future generations.