Friends of Treorchy Park Food Van
NOVEMBER 12th 2022
Last year we funded Friends of Treorchy Park with a £5,000 grant. They wanted a food van for the park and pool that they run but also to use at other community events that they support. If Pen y Cymoedd supports vehicles we want to be sure they will last for many years and so we asked the group to consider match funding to purchase a more sustainable vehicle which they did.
“We have done lots of work to improve the food van. We moved the sink and sorted better drainage, installed our boiler, fitted an extractor fan and rearranging the setup to make it easier for us to operate. We trained 8 volunteers in Level Two Food Hygiene and all these volunteers helped at the food van during its operation and were happy with the new setup.
With this new van we have been able to operate more efficiently and increased our sales by 50% at the paddling pool which will help sustain the community activities and we are taking the food van to the Treorchy Christmas parade on the to generate income and hope to use the van a lot in the new year. We have always found Pen y Cymoedd to be helpful and flexible, thank you.” – Friends of Treorchy Park
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.