WELSH Water has launched a community initiative to ‘grow social capital’ as part of their £3.4 million investment in Aberystwyth.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is currently investing £3.4 million into upgrading the water network in Aberystwyth, which is due to be completed by July.

In parallel with the investment in the, the not-for-profit water company has partnered with Grow Social Capital to work with the community to enable local people to be more confident, capable, and connected for creating a better future for their town, through the Tummler School initiative.

The community will be invited to attend three 60-minute online events over a three-week period at 6pm each week, on Wednesday, 9, 16 and 23 June.

The programme is designed for anyone who would like to make a difference in their community but are unsure about how to take the first steps, through to experienced community activists who can extend their skills.

Seed funding for small scale projects for ideas that emerge from the school is also being offered by Welsh Water.

‘Tummler’ is a Yiddish word describing someone who literally gets a party going, an analogy for community action of encouraging people to come together and create more vibrant activity, requiring just a few good people to get the party going for everyone.

Claire Roberts, Head of Community Engagement at Welsh Water said, “As a thank you to Aberystwyth for bearing with us while we carry out work in the area, we have teamed up with Grow Social Capital to pilot this exciting community programme.“At the online sessions we want to connect anyone with an interest in developing a better future for Aberystwyth to make a difference which will benefit the local community. I would encourage anyone who has that ambition to sign up for the free online programme.”

The project is supported by CAVO.

Andy Green of Grow Social Capital stated the “Tummler School is a friendly, encouraging, and supportive online place for anyone wanting to do more to make their community even better, with some great ideas, tips and tools - all freely - to help others who want to make a difference.”

To book a free place, visit www.bit.ly/TummlerSchool.