Rhondda Cynon Taf Let's Get a Good Thing Going

Across the UK, there are many people who would love to do something they think will

enhance their community.

Let's not leave the beach as we found it.

Let's leave it a little nicer.

But what they are lacking is the money to get their bright ideas off the ground.

My project needs your vote!

We're giving individuals the chance to kick-start their venture with

donations from their own communities.

Brilliant, come on in, then, come on!

But to win that pot and to make dreams a reality,

they first need to win over an audience of locals

who will be voting for their favourite idea.

Is it going to be open for 24 hours a day?

Would this be sort of an annual event?

What are your running costs likely to be?

All across the country,

there are local heroes prepared to go the extra mile to make our

communities better places to live.

It's a very... Sorry.

Unusual for me - very emotional.

They just need a helping hand to get their ideas up and running.

The champion who you have voted for is...

Welcome to South Wales.

Today, we're in the Rhondda Cynon Taff - RCT for short.

Five coal-mining valleys make up this region,

which is home to almost a quarter of a million people.

Across the Valleys, there are dozens of towns and villages like this,

with classic terraced houses lined up like...

..ribbons clinging to the hillside.

Coal mining was a big employer in this region.

But after the pit closures in the '80s,

high levels of unemployment followed.

From up here, you can see the town of Pontypridd.

Ponty, as it's affectionately known,

is the home of Tom Jones AND the Welsh national anthem.

And for one day only, it's going to be our home, too.

And right in the heart of Pontypridd is the Muni Arts Centre.

A former Wesleyan chapel, it's now home to music,

comedy gigs and runs community drop-ins

that gives support for veterans and their families.

And because it's run by the community,

there's no better place for us to kick off today's

Let's Get A Good Thing Going.

The four locals hoping to get their projects off the ground are...

Reverend Peter, who wants to share skills between his parishioners.

Caryl, who is determined that gardening should be for all.

Steve the police officer, who's on a one-man mission to save lives.

Shock delivered.

And Amy and Katie,

animal lovers with a crafty idea to support the local dog shelter.

Each of them has an idea which could really benefit their local area.

But to get the money that could make it happen for real,

they must first win over an audience from their local community.

Right, let's open up for business.

Come on in, everyone!

Come on in! Local people have been invited to hear what our community

champions have got to say.

As they come in, they can make a cash donation

towards the community fund.

This is brilliant, I can feel the atmosphere already now.

Now, it doesn't matter how small or how big their contribution is,

everybody will get a chance to vote,

and the person that they think deserves the funds the most,

and whoever wins, gets all the money that's in that box.

Here you all are!

-How are you doing?

-All right, yeah.

It's an amazing opportunity, isn't it, for the community?

Who's nervous?

We've got some good support, so I think we'll be OK.

-Steve, you are really nervous, aren't you?

-I'm very, very nervous.

Just breathe and relax.

I think my friends and family are fed up of me reading these cards,

because I've read it and read it and read it. I still will be reading.

No, that's... I do take my hat off to you.

-I just want to wish you all the best of luck...

-Thank you.

-..to everyone, and I'll see you shortly.

APPLAUSE

Well, hello!

Hello, hello, hello! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You are about to hear four people, four local people,

who share with you something that they care about - actually,

something that they're very, very passionate about.

What is it?

It's you. It's all of you, the RCT community.

Give yourself a round of applause.

That's what they share.

APPLAUSE

And because you've been so generous,

you've created a pot of money that will enable one of our community

champions to start their project as soon as we leave today.

Now, our four pitchers are backstage.

They've prepared a presentation to explain their project,

and explain the benefits to the community.

But it will be down to you to decide who wins.

You can get the opportunity to ask the questions, decide and vote -

who gets to get a good thing going.

THEY CHEER

Let's start with our first pitch.

This is a man who's got a novel approach

to rebuild, restore and renew.

Please give a very big, warm welcome to the Reverend Peter Lewis!

Thank you for this invitation to be here.

My name is Peter Lewis, I'm one of the vicars

in the town of Pontypridd...

Reverend Peter Lewis has been the team vicar of St Catherine's Church

in Pontypridd and nearby St Luke's in Cilfynydd for five years.

It's a job I think you feel really called into,

because it gives you a great satisfaction inside.

You know you're part of a great team of people locally.

Pontypridd is at the bottom of the Valleys,

which traditionally are a great place for a welcome,

for people working hard, and looking after each other.

He's not just busy with his flock, but with his family, too.

Son Joshua is proud of his dad.

He does do a lot for the community.

He does this thing called food bank and he goes out into the streets,

sometimes every Saturday.

Over the last five years,

Peter has been involved in setting up a string of community projects.

We developed a community cafe.

Like all community projects,

they take a long time to really begin to get right.

We started up a job club with Christians Against Poverty.

And then, on the back of that,

we've realised we needed to set up the computer project.

Tina Rankin is the manager of the church cafe,

and works closely with Peter.

Oh, he's great. He's great. Very much a people person.

He just really, really wants to connect with people

and help bring people to where they need to be.

Having a minister like Peter's very vital in this community.

Communities have become very disjointed over time, and it's very,

very hard to bring communities to pull back together.

Unemployment here is higher than the UK average,

with 5.3% of the RCT community out of work.

So, the weekly computer club and the job coaching sessions are vital.

We know that we get 20% of people into work, which is fantastic.

And when we ask people how they feel about themself at the end of our

courses that we do, everybody says they're much better -

they feel more optimistic, more self-assurance,

and they feel they can overcome barriers.

I think it's a great place for anybody to come.

You know, a safe place, safe environment,

if you just want to meet people,

if you're lonely or need help, emotional help,

I think it's a vital part of the community.

With the success of the existing projects, it's time to look ahead,

and Peter has got a clever idea for a new one.

We have a huge amount of furniture

which is just waiting to be worked upon.

It's falling into disrepair,

and it's just waiting for something to come and bring new life into it.

The project is going to start off as relating

to those who are part of our job club.

And it will help them in their search for work,

in their confidence.

It shows that they're interested in using their time,

and I'm sure that employers, when they see

that kind of CV information,

will think, "Oh, there's something different about this person."

I'm here to chat to you about furniture.

And I'd like to put a bid for some money

so that we can improve furniture and restore it.

So, I've got some furniture which has probably had better days.

And if you had something like this in the house,

you maybe would not want to put any effort into it, or you might think,

"I just don't know what to do with it."

Or you might just think, "I'm going to chuck it away.

"It's not worth anything."

But the furniture project that I want to start up is going to take

something like this and make it into something great.

We want to try and rebuild and restore and renew things

that perhaps are left by the side,

or maybe even people who are left behind.

And we want to try and put something new into their life.

Here's something which one person,

she's in her 20s and she enjoys as a hobby restoring things,

and she said,

"Can I share my skills with other people?"

This represents hard work and creativity

and a way of taking something

which has maybe had better days and putting it into something new.

We've got furniture, we've got a place to do it,

we've got people waiting to share skills.

But what we haven't got is that starting-off money,

and you can be a catalyst for me to put money in, so that people who are

looking to improve their skills in employment have got a real good base

from which to grow, to rebuild, to restore and to renew.

I'd love for you to help.

For his furniture restoration programme, Peter wants...

Well done. Not too bad, was it?

Thank you.

Right, you're not going to go anywhere yet,

because we're going to take a couple of questions from the audience.

-OK.

-Gentleman there in the red.

-Hi, Peter, talking about

all these people restoring the furniture -

what will happen to them once the furniture has been restored?

What the furniture project is going to help do is create a social

enterprise, so it's not just a hobby,

it's something that's going somewhere bigger.

And that income that will come from selling these things

will go back into

the community projects which are already up and going,

helping people with addictions, helping people into employment,

helping people who have got debt pushing them down.

Great question, thank you.

So, anybody else got a question?

Gentleman there in the blue T-shirt, yes.

Hi, Pete. What sort of age group would you be looking at

to do this sort of work?

Well, I've learned from community projects that I've been

involved with in the past, is to try and be focused to start,

and then see what happens.

The person who is doing this is in their twenties.

The people who chat to us in the job club, though, are a mixed range.

And some people who are approaching retirement age,

they wanted to get involved.

But so did younger people.

I don't think there is an age limit for it.

OK, thanks very much.

And I think as well, predominantly, Peter,

you're bringing people together to socialise, as well, aren't you?

Yeah, part of community projects are to listen to see what's going on and

to encourage new connections between people.

And you may have folk in this community project who come from all

different areas around the town, different backgrounds,

but there's a common purpose bringing them into a place to share.

Round of applause for Peter, please, everybody!

CROWD CHEERS

Losing a job for a short period can cause some stress and depression.

In long-term unemployment, psychological problems can linger.

Picking up a new job or learning a new skill

can alleviate these mental issues.

Now, there's nothing like home-grown fruit and veg,

because it tastes delicious.

However, the Prichard Street Allotment Association

believe there's something more than just growing the produce and eating it.

To find out more, please welcome Caryl Thomas.

CROWN CHEERS

-Here you are, Caryl.

-Thank you.

Thank you, Kevin.

As Kevin said, my name's Caryl Thomas,

and I'm here tonight on behalf of

the Prichard Street Allotments Association in Tonyrefail.

Retired nurse Caryl lives on the edge of Tonyrefail,

with her husband Rhys.

He does the heavy work, so she can enjoy her favourite hobby.

I've had two knee replacements.

It does cut my mobility down quite a lot,

so I have to watch what I'm doing.

This is like a little sanctuary for me in the summer.

It's a really stable area for me to get around.

So, it is my bit of heaven on earth.

Just 200 yards away from her garden is another of her favourite places.

And it's well used by many others.

Caryl's been the secretary of

Prichard Street Allotment Association for

the past eight years.

She's as good as gold.

She always tries to get involved with everything in the community,

involves herself in most projects in the local area.

I love being over here.

It's one of the bonuses of being part of the community,

because some days I'm thinking, you know,

I don't really want to get out.

Then I'm thinking, I've got to go over and water the allotment.

You only come over for ten minutes, and two hours later,

you'll still been chatting to people.

And by the time you go back, you feel so much better,

maybe not physically, but mentally,

you feel so much better because

you've had that interaction with other people.

What are you doing down here this afternoon?

Well, I've done a little bit of digging up there.

Idris Greening has been tending his allotment on the site

for almost 30 years.

I'm always down here all the time.

Marvellous, can't fault it.

-Take your time now.

-I will.

And don't take too much soil with you.

-Oh, sshh now!

-If I couldn't get down here, I'd be lost.

I'm on my tod. What else could I do?

Caryl is keen to see people aren't excluded because of mobility issues.

There isn't any steps on the plot.

The only step I've got is in and out of my greenhouse,

I've got to be careful. We do try and keep everything fairly level

and flat, so that people like myself can actually get on and off here.

And she has an idea which will mean locals of all abilities

-can enjoy the allotment.

-What do you think would be the best thing to do?

Well, the first thing, we'll have to clear the space,

because we'll have to put some weedkiller down...

You don't realise how many people would like to be on here.

It's sort of a hidden statistic, really.

That, you know,

people wouldn't naturally come to an allotment if they're less able,

because they know it's going to involve a lot of physical work.

So, if you provide somewhere that is not so physically demanding,

they've got the access in, and I think that's the most important.

We're looking to raise money for two planters and a safe pathway to allow

the less able access to our allotment site.

I'm very lucky, I've more than a willing helper in my husband Rhys.

And he does all the heavy jobs on the allotment.

Some people don't have this.

Having a reason to be out and on the allotment site has helped me

tremendously with my mental health.

Motivation to get involved.

It may be that I would only be going over to water the greenhouses,

but it means I have to get up and get out.

This is what happened to one of the past members on our site.

He had to give up his plot due to ill health,

and he missed the social interaction.

He became isolated and he complained of being lonely.

There's a study by the University of York

that found out that lonely people

are more likely to suffer a stroke or heart disease.

We as allotmenteers are a passionate community in RCT.

We love to sow and nurture our plants.

But we also realise that this is very restrictive

to some members in the community at large.

This is why we want to open our plot up to the less able.

So, these two planters that we're trying to get will be available for

people like our past member, a small area to cultivate,

without the demands of a whole allotment plot.

For some people in the community,

it would offer them a new and exciting opportunity

to change their lifestyle, to give them a purpose,

resulting in a beneficial way of life.

Thank you.

CROWD CHEERS

To make her allotment more accessible

to gardeners of all abilities,

Caryl wants...

Hello, Caryl!

All right?

Well done! Brilliant.

Oh!

Bless you!

Caryl was really nervous there, everyone. She said,

"I don't know what I'm going to do."

You did brilliantly. Didn't she do brilliantly?

Well done, well done, well done.

-Thank you.

-Now...

I can't let you go just yet.

-I know.

-Because I'm sure there's a couple of questions.

Gentleman over there, please.

How many less able gardeners could you facilitate at your project?

Well, we looked at the price of everything

and we initially thought two planters would be enough to start.

But we have the room to put at least another two, if not three, there.

So, we're just starting off small, we're not being too ambitious,

and then we're going to... It will be an ongoing project, it will...

We can explore more people.

Caryl, you mentioned the word isolated, and people can feel isolated.

-Yeah.

-And that's a horrible word, isn't it?

It is. When you become an allotmenteer,

you join a different part of the society,

because you're always talking to one another, you're always saying,

"What are you growing?"

And, "Oh, I haven't tried that," that sort of thing.

So, it broadens your outlook. It does, it really does.

-Caryl, well done. I'll let you go now.

-Thank you very much.

-Round of applause for Caryl Thomas, please.

Cor, that was really hard work!

Being around other people, especially doing something fun or rewarding,

helps individuals keep a positive outlook on life

and a healthy mental state.

So, we've already heard from Caryl and Peter.

But we're just going to see if there's any favourite so far.

The young lady here - anybody taken your fancy yet?

Well, I am biased. I think what Caryl is doing on the allotment is

absolutely brilliant.

I certainly think that they deserve the money.

But for me, the idea of being able to restore furniture to give jobs to

the community and also to have a product that is finished,

that people can buy, is really worthwhile -

and that's what I'll be backing at the moment.

Hold that thought, because there's still two more projects to go

and the next project is literally life-saving.

It's from a man who wants to save lives.

Please welcome Steven Davies.

APPLAUSE

Good luck, Steve.

Hi.

I'm Steven Davies.

I am from Tonyrefail, a small village in Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Steve has been a serving police officer in the South Wales Police

for 14 years, and he's just run the Cardiff Half Marathon

for a cause very close to his heart.

Yesterday there was a team of police officers that got together,

all raising money for different charities,

different reasons for running.

So, that made it more of a team effort as well yesterday,

running with friends. So, I was the last one out of that team to finish.

And next year's aim - not to be the last one.

Steve's wife Marie knows he has great determination.

Steve is a very passionate guy.

When he's involved in something, he does it 110%.

And he won't let go and he's constantly thinking of ideas,

"What can I do?

"How can I make this better?

"There is a shortfall there..."

Very, very community-based bloke, really.

Steve has been closely involved with a campaign to install

community defibrillators.

These are devices that help save lives by delivering

a controlled electric shock to the heart

when it's stopped or gone into an erratic rhythm during a heart attack.

I was involved in an incident

back last year, where a male collapsed.

We believe he was suffering from a cardiac arrest.

Thankfully, someone was able to get a public accessible defibrillator to

me, so myself and some colleagues then used the defibrillator,

and thankfully we were able to know that we had saved someone's life.

Whilst defibrillators are more widely available,

members of the public are still afraid to use them.

Steve knows that, with just one training session,

he can help people lose that fear.

Steve's friend, electrician Darren Owen,

has been installing defibrillators

that have been funded by community voluntary groups.

And Steve's keen to show him how easy they are to use.

Pads underneath...

-DEFIBRILLATOR:

-Tear open the pads' packaging, and stick to the bare skin of the patient.

Top of the chest there.

Just follow the instructions and look at the diagram.

Press the pads firmly to the bare skin of the patient.

So, all you do then, follow the instructions.

Stand clear. Deliver shock now.

Shock delivered.

Now, I've been shown, erm, it's straightforward enough.

I'm pretty confident that I can use that one now.

Training everyone is the key thing for me.

To know where they are and not have any fear at all in using them.

I went on a training course with the Ambulance Service to become a

certified defibrillator trainer.

This training device is exactly the same as an actual defibrillator.

We're able to go into the schools and community groups

within Rhondda Cynon Taff

and offer free basic life-support, life-saving skills.

And we've overcome many fears of people just holding them.

Just by holding them you won't get an electric shock,

as many people fear.

So, this is why I'm here this evening,

to ask for your support to buy a training device,

so I can do far more training.

And we're looking to get more people qualified in training with a

defibrillator, so they're able to go into the schools and offer that

training as well.

APPLAUSE

For his defibrillator training sessions,

which he believes can save local lives, Steve wants...

CROWD CHEERS

You did great.

Brilliant.

Who's got the first question for Steve?

-Yes, sir.

-Hi, Steve.

-Hi.

-Can you tell us how many more people you can train up

if you had more money?

It's not so much money.

One of these devices costs roughly about £500.

So, if I was able to get one device,

which I can access then myself on a 24/7 basis,

to go out and train people,

I could train thousands of people with one device.

My mission is to keep supporting

basic life-support skills.

I'm not an expert in this field,

but if I can just get that message out to people,

not to be afraid of using or accessing these machines.

With early recognition that someone has suffered a cardiac arrest,

with early defibrillation, leading to advanced medical care,

a person would have a 53% chance of survival.

Without that chain of survival, it's 3%.

So, it's a vital, vital piece of equipment, it's life-saving itself.

APPLAUSE

Brilliant.

Steve, you're off the hook.

Well done. Steve Davies, everybody!

Now, it's well known that the British

are a nation of animal lovers,

and our final project today is all about our four-legged friend.

Please welcome Katie Schofield and Amy Greenfield.

AUDIENCE CHEERS

Thank you!

My name is Amy

and this is my friend Katie.

-Hello.

-And we are from a dog rescue charity based in Llanharan in RCT.

Ready?

Good boy!

We're really lucky here at Hope,

we've got 18 acres of woodland which we can use to walk our dogs.

I grew up with dogs, so I've always been a dog person.

It's a brilliant place to work.

We work a lot, obviously, hands-on with the dogs,

but we also have a lot to do with people,

whether that's our volunteers or the people that we can help with our

respite services and things like that.

This is Sausage, my little Jack Russell cross.

She comes to work with me quite often.

Since I was a kid, I was always, like, bringing in waifs and strays,

much to my family's distress, because my mam wasn't really a dog person,

-were you, Mam?

-No.

-And my parents would come in through the front door,

and I'd be ushering a dog out the kind of back door.

And I'd have the neighbour's dog in the house.

My background is in kind of design and product management

and things like that,

but I wanted to do something that made a difference,

which was how I got into charity work.

And then to come to work for Hope,

which combines all of that with my love of dogs, is superb.

Katie's dog Sausage is a regular at the charity shop

and its dog-friendly cafe, where funds raised are ploughed back

to help rescue and rehouse dogs across South Wales.

The charity already attracts local people and their four-legged friends

through its shop doors.

But there is a space upstairs that could really bring people together.

At the front, we've got a nice light from the windows,

and this is where we're hoping that we'll hold our craft classes.

Katie and Amy want to bring in tutors

and provide free craft sessions,

which give people a chance to learn a new skill, and more importantly,

socialise.

The basic ethos is for the community, and pets helping people.

It's not just a dog charity, there is so much more to it.

You've got elderly people, for example, who, you know,

they might want to go out and have some company,

so they'd obviously come here, where they can actually have a tea,

a coffee, a cake, maybe a Welsh cake,

and then they get to know other people.

Katie and Amy are hoping it will soon be as busy upstairs as it is downstairs.

At the rescue centre,

we care for stray and abandoned dogs from all over RCT.

And we find them loving, forever homes.

Together, we want to launch a project that benefits the rescue dogs at the

centre, and also the local community.

And this really fits with our ethos of helping pets helping people.

So, we're here today to talk to you about our community crafting project.

So, we're hoping to situate it in our shop in Pontypridd.

What we really want to create with the shop

is not just a retail experience, but a community hub,

and the craft courses will be a part of that.

To give you a kind of idea of the sort of crafts that we hope to be doing,

it sort of goes hand-in-hand with the dog rescue charity...

We've got some of our lovely things here

that have already been made by some volunteers for us.

But to illustrate it better, I'd like to introduce Holly to you.

Hello, sweetie!

Good girl!

So, Holly is a Hope rescue dog,

so we're currently in the process of rehoming her.

As you can see, she's got a snazzy little jacket on there.

But the reason behind the crafting,

it's not just about creating wonderful products,

it's about people,

and how crafting can kind of help a community come together.

So, what we're hoping with the craft classes is to be able to reach out

to everybody, young and old, from the morning, evening, weekends,

so that everybody is going to be able to be a part of these craft classes.

So, if you choose us today, your donations will provide a really lovely,

cosy, crafting area for people to come and have a knit and a natter at

the charity shop. It will also cover the cost of expert tuition for the

crafting classes and lots of lovely,

inspiring craft materials for everybody to use.

We want to make sure that everyone can be involved in this project,

so we're offering everything free of charge to the people who are

participating.

And we really, really hope that by Christmas we will have some lovely

crafters in knitting some dog coats for dogs like Holly.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

AUDIENCE APPLAUDS

-That's good! Yes!

-Great jumper! I like that!

And a big round of applause

for our star of the show here, well done, thank you very much, thank you.

Thank you.

To enable Katie and Amy to start their craft project, they want...

Katie, can you talk through some of the items you've got?

Yeah, I can show you some of our dog coats here.

So, this is kind of the smaller size.

So, it starts from extra small, and we have a range of different designs,

looks, materials.

If you feel that, it's really nice and soft and squishy.

-It does feel soft, doesn't it?

-And if you've got a really large dog,

and you think, you know, "What about my big, giant dog?"

Then we go up to extra large, as well.

We're going to take some questions.

Do we have a question, please, for Katie and Amy?

-Question there, please?

-Hello.

How many people want to sign up for your classes,

and what would they do with their new skills?

Well, it depends when you want to come.

So what we're hoping to do is sort of coordinate it,

so we'd hold different classes at different times.

Depends what you want to learn.

So, if you want to come in the morning, in the afternoon, of an evening,

of a weekend, and we'll make sure

that the shop and the space is available to

hold things at different times so it's available for everybody.

Thank you very much for your question.

Another question for Katie and Amy, please?

-Lady over there.

-Are there any particular groups that you're going to be interested in targeting?

I know there's a lot of work around mental health and charities like that

at the moment - are there particular groups you're looking to target for

-these classes?

-We're hoping to bring more disadvantaged groups into the

crafting sessions at the charity shop.

So, whether that's using craft as therapy,

or whether it's using the crafting as developing new skills which maybe

will lead to further training or employment,

there's lots and lots of opportunities for people to come

alongside each other while they're learning a new skill,

get some confidence, as well,

and grow their life skills.

-Great, thank you.

-Thanks for your question.

I think this is a great pitch. A round of applause, please,

-for Katie and Amy.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Latest studies from psychology and neuroscience

suggest that the brain has

an astonishing ability to learn and master new skills,

whatever your age.

Plus, by taking up a new skill like crafting, there's other benefits, too,

including maintaining and enhancing cognitive health.

Well, that is it,

you have now heard from all four of our amazing community champions,

who have shared their dreams.

But who do you think deserves to take the cash to get a good thing going?

Well, let's have a recap.

Today, we've heard from the Reverend Peter Lewis,

who wants to help local unemployment by offering training on furniture

renovation. The Reverend Peter! Yes!

CROWD CHEERS

We also heard from Caryl Thomas from the Prichard Street Allotments Association,

who want to welcome gardeners

of all ages and all abilities.

Round of applause!

CROWD CHEERS

We also heard from Steve Davies,

who wants everyone to have life-saving skills.

What a pitch that was!

CROWD CHEERS

And Amy and Katie,

who want to support the local dog shelter and learn new skills in the process.

Round of applause for Amy and Katie.

CROWD CHEERS

So, their hard work is done.

Now, it's time for you to start working.

But which project will serve the community best?

It's time to vote!

Everyone voting today has contributed towards a fund

that totals £505.35.

Amy, Katie and definitely Holly will get the vote today, I think.

Nobody can resist that little face.

We were rubbish, but she was really good!

Something that they've wanted to do for a long, long time,

and then once it's off the ground, it will really get going.

I was really proud of Dad tonight.

It was nice that people were understanding

what I was talking about.

I thought he did really well.

I think he just said what the whole project's about,

and communicated that really well, so we're really proud of him.

Wow!

Those are four very strong projects.

You've got Reverend Peter Lewis, his restoration project,

but also getting unemployed people to socialise.

That's a good one. But you get Steve Davies's one about life-saving.

I'm just glad I don't have to decide.

I thought Mam was... She was really good, she spoke really well.

It was a bit nerve-racking, but I think, once I got into my stride,

-I was OK.

-I don't know how Steve's going to do in the vote.

I'm just... They're all such good causes, I'm just keeping my fingers,

toes and everything crossed that he's done his best.

It doesn't matter if he wins or not because he just tried his best.

BOTH: Proud of Dad!

Ladies and gentlemen, you have voted.

And your votes have been counted and verified.

Now, before we announce who you've decided to get a good thing going,

please welcome back our amazing champions.

Round of applause, please.

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

Well done.

Which project have you decided that the community would benefit from?

Who is going to take home the cash, and get a good thing going?

Well, I can now tell you that the winner...

is...

Steve's life-saving lessons!

-Well done, Steve.

-Well done.

Thank you.

Wow.

Well done. Well done.

I'm lost for words, really.

-Yeah.

-And it means now I can buy a defibrillator trainer for our group,

and we can do more training, raise more awareness.

Absolutely all very worthy causes just generally and, in my opinion,

they all deserved the money in my case, but obviously there can only be one winner.

Steve won because I think you can't put a price on a life.

We're all really excited by each other's projects and about getting

together now to kind of cross over and things.

We're already arranging meetings and things.

I think the best person won.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, really good.

But something good has come out of it, because...

-What's that?

-Two planters are going before the community council to see if they will sponsor them.

So then all we've got to do is raise the money for the path, so it's ongoing.

Absolutely brilliant news, isn't it?

-Yeah, so it's going.

-Delighted for Steve.

I think that was a really good project to get going.

-Daddy won!

-Daddy won!

Wow! Wow!

Wow! What a fabulous day.

Four incredible projects, four inspirational groups,

and I'm just watching Steve, our winner there.

Just everybody's chatting to him,

and he's going to be taking the funds now,

and it's going to be helping train people to save lives.

But you know what stuck out the most for me is the support in the room.

I think the overall winner today is the community.

The trees are now bare, as the days get shorter.

Four weeks later and Steve's new kit has arrived.

Hi, guys. Are you going to come and help Dad open this?

Come on, then! Do you know what it is, Beth?

-Defibrillator?

-Defibrillator! From the pitch, we won just over £500,

which is amazing for the group, for our community project.

We've now managed to buy a training mannequin and a training defibrillator,

which means an awful lot for us.

We're so pleased to have that, which we can now use in our community.

-How amazing is that?

-Nice.

It's cool, isn't it?

-Look.

-It's going to be a busy year, I'm looking forward to it,

looking forward to helping more people.

And if the training we deliver gives one person that chance of stepping

forward and using the equipment to save one person's life,

it will mean a lot to us.

His wife Marie is fully behind him.

Since the pitch event, I'm really proud of him.

He's done amazingly well.

He's going to be really busy now.

He's constantly thinking what can he do, what next event,

how many people can he outreach?

Steve's first session using his own equipment is in the local community hall,

and it's a big turnout.

Good evening, everyone, really appreciate you being here tonight for the

defibrillator training. And I want to hopefully give you all some basic

life-support skills and show you how easy a defibrillator is to use.

I hope to learn tonight how to use the defib

confidently and successfully.

Me and Evan decided we'd like to have a go at a defib in case we ever

-needed to use it.

-I'm interested in finding out a little bit more about

the use of a defibrillator.

We had an incident recently in our church

which demonstrated the need for a little bit more expertise.

Bring yourself upright over the casualty

and then push down five to six centimetres.

While Danny's doing the CPR there, I'll pretend I've run off,

I've got a defibrillator.

So, the defibrillator's turned on there now.

And when it says stand clear, if you deliver a shock to a person,

the body will move.

So just say, top, middle, bottom, clear.

Everyone out the way. And then press the shock button, and deliver it.

Deliver shock now.

Press the orange button.

-DEFIBRILLATOR:

-Do not touch the patient.

Sorry, mate!

There you go.

He died because I can't press the button!

Why don't you have a go?

There you go, look.

Being visually impaired doesn't mean you can't use a defibrillator and

help save a life.

If I just help you form a fist there, so you've got your left hand,

and then clench those and interlock your fingers of that hand...

I just wanted to have a go.

I thought it was exciting,

and never having looked at one as I would do before,

it was a new experience.

-There you go.

-Is that right?

That's brilliant.

So, hopefully you've all benefited from tonight,

and I really do appreciate you turning up and being part of the training.

So, thanks very much.

APPLAUSE

Caryl Thomas was in the audience with her husband Rhys.

Well, we came tonight one, to support Steve, but two,

just to see how the new defibrillators work,

because we didn't know.

And to see them in action, really.

Steve's friend Darren only recently learned how to use a defibrillator,

and only a few weeks later was in a situation where one was needed.

At first, a little bit scary, because it was actual real life.

But the machine kicked in,

talked me right through everything that we had to do,

and without the training, I wouldn't have been able to do it.

What about the runners-up and their projects?

Peter Lewis wanted to set up a furniture restoration project

to help people in the RCT who are unemployed.

Since the pitch event,

we've decided that this is something which we definitely want to take

forward, and we've sat down as a group,

we've got some new people involved in the community who've got to hear

about it, and we're going forward in a way that is going to help us be

really sustainable, ready to start in the New Year.

We had a good time together at the pitch.

And afterwards, we realised that there are ways that we can overlap.

So, with the dog charity, we're meeting up,

they're having a carol service in one of our church buildings.

And we're going to be having defibrillation training for all our volunteers.

Caryl wanted disabled access and planters at her allotment for

those with limited mobility.

A local councillor approached us on the night because he was in the

audience, and he is hoping to source some railway sleepers for us to build the thing,

so we're not going to have to pay out for that,

so that will be good. And really, it's stimulated more interest -

more of the boys on the allotment are getting more involved,

and they all think it's a pretty good idea.

Katie and Amy wanted to set up community craft classes above

the animal rescue charity shop.

So, even though we didn't win on the night, we kind of won in other ways.

We didn't get the money, but the friendships that we formed and the

collaboration we formed with the other contestants has been priceless.

So, we're working with Peter,

we're going to supply him with some furniture.

We're going to help Caryl with her project with some volunteers,

and then Steve's going to come and use this space we've got upstairs for our craft classes

to do a defib course,

so it's all really come together nicely for us.

So, if you've got an idea on how to improve your community,

what are you waiting for?

This idea which I set up was something I thought was going to be small.

It has grown and grown and grown, the popularity.

The community spirit and everyone involved in it has been amazing.

So, if you've got a small, small idea, have a go at it.