Swansea Building Society donates £2,500 to support Carmarthen Youth Project

Dr Mz is a drop-in centre run by Carmarthen Youth Project where young people from aged 6 through to 25 can meet and participate in a range of activities, including volunteering and learning new skills.

The Society’s donation will assist Dr Mz in purchasing essential resources for the centre, including musical instruments, art supplies, sensory lighting, IT equipment, and a new freezer and microwave. This equipment will further enhance the range of activities on offer to young people in the Carmarthen area.

The centre’s name, Dr Mz, was chosen by the young people who first attended the centre to commemorate the late Dr Margaret Evans, a local GP and councillor, whose vision, enthusiasm, and effort inspired the project.

Since first opening in 1997, the centre has been a place where thousands of young people have been able to participate in a range of team, confidence and skills-building activities, including coasteering, canoeing, abseiling, activity holidays, residentials, costume making, website designing, street-hockey playing, paintballing, and quad-biking. It is run by a team of dedicated volunteers and relies on donations to provide its services.

Swansea Building Society’s £2,500 donation to Dr Mz is part of its larger centenary initiative, which will see it donate £100,000 to local charities. The majority of the funds (£85,000) will be divided between three main charitable causes, with the remaining £15,000 to be donated by the Society’s Swansea, Carmarthen, and Cowbridge branches to charities related directly to their local communities.

Other Society initiatives during 2023 included 100 days of volunteering, where the Society will encourage its staff to volunteer on local projects; 100 trees planted at Penllergare Valley Woods; and a 100-mile fundraising trek, which will be broken up over a nominated timescale across various locations in South Wales, with the funds raised going to the Society’s official staff charity, Maggie’s Swansea.

All the Society’s centenary initiatives have been chosen to reflect its values of supporting its local community and making a positive impact in the region.

Sioned Jones, Area Manager Swansea Building Society West Wales, said: “We are delighted to support such a wonderful project that makes such a positive impact on the lives of young people in our community. At Swansea Building Society, we are committed to supporting the communities we serve, and we are proud to contribute to the important work that Dr Mz does in providing a safe and welcoming space for young people.”

Andre McPherson, Chief Executive Officer, Dr Mz, said: “We are extremely grateful to Swansea Building Society for this generous donation, which will enable us to purchase much-needed resources for the centre. The support of organisations like Swansea Building Society is crucial in helping us to continue our work in supporting young people in our community.”

Lead image: Left to right: Christopher Monk, Digital Youth Project, Lead Worker; Andre McPherson, CEO, Dr Mz; Liwsi Ebsworth, Swansea Building Society; and Sioned Jones, Area Manager Swansea Building Society West Wales