Two community groups in Ceredigion are celebrating after finding out they have been successful in receiving National Lottery grants.

Merched y Wawr Rhanbarth Ceredigion will use £9,900 to organise and hold workshops and activities that will re-start discussions between groups and individuals on the theme of wool to reignite peoples’ interest and to help them regain confidence in getting together and developing skills.

Owenna Davies, President of Merched y Wawr Ceredigion, said: “We are very glad to be receiving this support from The National Lottery to restart our community in these difficult times. This is breaking new ground for us as a group and the hope is for us to restart projects all across Wales.”

Elsewhere, St Padarn’s RC Primary School will use £6,570 to provide a woodland after school club with outdoor activities for pupils such as eco art and species identification. The project will also provide activity days for the playgroup that feed the primary school.

Mandy Rowe, Deputy Headteacher at St Padarn’s, said: “St Padarn’s RC Primary School is delighted to have been awarded over £6,000 by the National Lottery Awards for All to run a woodland club over the two terms January to July 2022. This will be an after-school club in the woodland leased to the school by the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and the school garden. Following Covid and the lockdowns we feel it is vital that our pupils have the opportunity to attend activities in groups in the outdoors, led by a specialist woodland practitioner.

“These sessions will not only develop new skills and foster a sense of enjoyment in the outdoors but will also help to support the children’s wellbeing. The pupils will take part in many activities that they would not get the opportunity to do in school time, such as weaving, clay modelling, making toast and popcorn over the fire and woodland art. The club will be open to all pupils at the school, whatever their needs or age. St Padarn’s Playgroup will also benefit from the grant, with six days of forest school being provided by the same woodland practitioner.”

John Rose, Wales Director at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “These groups’ work is a clear example of our belief that communities thrive when people are in the lead. More than £30 million a week is raised for good causes across the UK thanks to National Lottery players. We’re delighted to fund their amazing work.”

The groups are among 60 across Wales to receive a total of £3.7 million in the past month. The full list of funded projects is attached.