People who use the food bank at Swansea Mosque and Islamic Community Centre are set to get warm packs this winter, paid for from savings on the centre’s energy bills, the Welsh Government says.
The centre on St Helen’s Road is getting battery storage and a hybrid heat pump from £339,000 of clean energy funding, which it shares with Pontardawe Golf Club.
The money comes from Ynni Cymru, a Welsh Government scheme that helps community groups, businesses and public services make and use their own clean energy.
What’s being fitted at Swansea Mosque
A hybrid heat pump is a heat pump that works alongside a boiler. The Welsh Government says the new system and batteries will cut the centre’s running costs and make the building more efficient.
According to the Welsh Government, the centre handles around 5,000 visits a week for worship, education and community activities.
As well as the food bank, it runs a baby bank, youth activities and educational programmes.
‘We are much more than a place of worship’
Hasan Miah, of the centre, said people came for far more than prayer. “We are much more than a place of worship. Every day, people come through our doors for support, companionship, learning and practical help,” he said.
He said the money would keep the building warm for the people who rely on it. “This investment will help ensure the centre remains a warm and welcoming place for older people, families with children and those experiencing financial hardship, while allowing us to continue supporting the community for years to come.”
24 projects across Wales share £8.27m
The two are among 24 organisations across Wales sharing £8.27m in the third round of Ynni Cymru funding, seven of them in west Wales.
Since it launched in 2023, the scheme has backed more than 80 projects with more than £31m, the Welsh Government says.
Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Adam Price said both organisations were “using clean energy to reduce costs, and this in turn protects services such as food banks, educational and community activities”.
He said the scheme was about energy owned locally. “Ynni Cymru is delivering the Welsh Government’s vision for greener, cheaper energy, owned and used by people and communities across Wales,” he said.
Ministers are also consulting on a public energy company owned by the people of Wales, which would keep the profits from Welsh wind farms here.
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