Funders
This is really a special thank you space for all our funders, without whom we wouldn’t survive. Thank you for having belief in the work that we do and for supporting us, and enabling us to continue to work creatively with amazing people every year.
Thank you to:
Arts and Business Cymru
Have helped us many times to find business sponsors for Valley and Vale (including Legal and General and EOS AV Ltd) and through match-funding with schemes such as the Pairing Scheme and annual awards, encouraging links between the corporate and arts sectors in Wales.
Arts Council of Wales
Our
main revenue funders, without whose key support we wouldn’t
be able to develop strategically, 
or
draw down the other funding for our projects which we need
to do year after year. The Arts Council also support other
elements of our work, including training and professional
development for our staff team and management committee,
capital funding for new media equipment and our Media Centre,
project funding and capacity building funding for the organisation
as a whole.
Arts for All Lottery
Have funded many of our Arts projects over the years, particularly funding Youth Arts programmes such as our GAP 24/7 Project and many others.
BBC Children in Need
Much needed funding for an anti-bullying arts initiative in schools in the Bridgend area has funded ‘Breathing Space’, a year-long programme of our After School creative workshops and safe talking and sharing spaces in schools at lunchtimes as an innovative way of tackling and talking about bullying and related issues.
Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations
Our local Voluntary Sector support agency, which offers funding advice and support, training and information sharing within our sector. We have also benefitted from their Community Grant fund which has enabled many smaller but important projects to get off the ground, including our Betws Community newspaper, team building and training events and the purchase of essential computer equipment.
Bridgend County Borough Council
Key revenue funders; Bridgend County Borough
Council’s
essential and ongoing support for our Arts for Development
work enables us to develop locally and also to draw down
the other funding for our projects which we need to do year
after year. In addition to our core funding for Arts Development,
we also receive funding and support from Bridgend County
Borough Council for other elements of Valley and Vale, such
as funding for our building developments from their Economic
Development department and support from Sports Development
for our dance work, encouraging active and healthy living
through dance.
Commedia Millennium Awards
Special funding for the millennium through these awards enabled new videos and web sites to be created by adults and young people, facilitated by Valley and Vale. The range of issues explored in these videos and web sites include ageing, Welsh mining history, cultural identity and drugs in the valleys.
Communities First
We are based in a 'Communities First' area which means we have been lucky to benefit from this fund, enabling many of our Community Arts and Media projects across our local communities which have suffered from many of the factors associated with deprivation economically, socially and environmentally.
European Social Fund
We have run several Youth Arts, Heritage and Culture projects in partnership with The National Museums and Galleries, Wales and funded by The European Social Fund.
First Light Film Awards
We have been funded to make several community videos by the First Light Film Awards over the last few years, with subjects ranging from a film about teenage pregnancy made by young women in Ogmore Vale to a film made by young asylum seekers in Cardiff.
SCOPE 'Give it a Go!' Millennium Awards
Funded a Dance for Development project, encouraging Jason, a key member of Good Company Dance Theatre, develop his skills and responsibilities in helping with the choreography and organisation of group’s dance piece and touring performance.
Sportlot Community Chest
Another funding source for Community Dance projects at Valley and Vale, increasing particpation and active lives through dance.
The Garw Valley Community Council
Over the years we have received funding for a range of local Community Arts projects in the Garw Valley including many children’s summer arts and environment projects during school holidays, which wouldn’t have been able to take place without this funding.
The Heritage Lottery Fund
Making the link between our past and our futures is important, and as we work to define and take ownership of our culture with communities, understanding our history and heritage is an important part of who we were, who we are, and who we would like to be. Thanks to The Heritage Lottery Fund we have been able to work on several new Community Arts projects exploring these issues with different groups and communities, from local children creating the Betws Bard through animation, to working with local farmers and families in Blackmill with words and photographs.
The New Opportunities Fund
In partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council and our local schools, we have worked for several years on After Schools’ Arts and Media workshops and projects in Primary and Comprehensive Schools, funded by The New opportunitiea Fund and bridging the gap between school and community life for local young people through creativity.
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales
We were pleased to receive funding for 2 years for our 24/7 Youth Arts for Development project, working with young people at risk in a range of settings, and building a partnership for our work within the criminal justice sector, using arts for positive change in HMP Parc Prison, with Bridgend Youth Offending Team and throughout our local communities.
The Welsh Assembly Government
We have received a range of funding for our work through The Welsh Assembly Government in the past few years, including Anti-Arson Youth Arts projects (Mountain Murals) and a drama and movement workshop for adults who have expereinced mental illness (Roots). The Welsh Assembly Government is an important source for our funding and sustainability into the future and so we hope that The Welsh Assembly Government and Culture Board recognises the importance of Community Arts for the development of the people and communities of Wales hope to receive much more in the coming ones!
Partners and Supporters
Thank you to all the partners and supporters of our work who we have had the pleasure of working with over the past few years. As usual there really are too many to mention, so thanks to everyone we have worked with over time, we can’t name you all, but we wouldn’t be here without you and we hope you had a positive experience working with us. Here are some people from recent partnerships that we would like to thank and name (not to mention so many amazing individuals who open up to creatively share their lives with us):
Berwyn Centre, Nantymoel
Betws Amenities Society
Betws Boys and Girls Club
Betws Life Centre
Betws Partnership
Betws Primary School
Blaengarw Workmen’s Hall
Bridgend College
Bridgend County Borough Schools
Bridgend Day Centre
Bridgend Library and Information Services
Bridgend People First
Bridgend Women's Aid
Bridgend Young Carers Project
Bridgend Youth Offending Team
Carlson Dance
Caswell Clinic, Bridgend
Childline Cymru
Children's Services, Bridgend County Borough Council
Community Dance Wales
Community Media Assocition
Friends of Betws Primary School
Garw Valley Leisure Centre
Gemini Digital Colour
Gofal
Groundwork Neath Port Talbot
Hafal
HMP YOI Parc, Juvenile Remand Unit
KPC
Mental Health Matters
MIND in the Vale
NCH
Neath Port Talbot Council
Persondy Day Centre
Princes Trust Cymru
PESS (Physical Education and Schools’ Sports project)
Pupil Referal Unit, Bridgend
Scruffs
Sports and Arts Development Departments, Bridgend County
Borough Council
TAN Dance
The British Council of Wales
The CRP Violence Against Women Initiative
The Home Office
The Odeon Cinema, Bridgend
The Sports Council for Wales
The Unit for Arts and Offenders
Young Carers, Bridgend
Youthwork Wales
YWCA Bridgend
Welsh Development Agency
Willows High School
