Rhondda Cynon Taf Let's Get a Good Thing Going


Rhondda Cynon Taf

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

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enhance their community.

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

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Let's leave it a little nicer.

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

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My project needs your vote!

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

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donations from their own communities.

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Brilliant, come on in, then, come on!

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

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they first need to win over an audience of locals

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who will be voting for their favourite idea.

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

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Would this be sort of an annual event?

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What are your running costs likely to be?

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All across the country,

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

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communities better places to live.

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It's a very... Sorry.

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Unusual for me - very emotional.

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

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The champion who you have voted for is...

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Welcome to South Wales.

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

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Five coal-mining valleys make up this region,

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

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

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with classic terraced houses lined up like...

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..ribbons clinging to the hillside.

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Coal mining was a big employer in this region.

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But after the pit closures in the '80s,

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high levels of unemployment followed.

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

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Ponty, as it's affectionately known,

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

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

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

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

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comedy gigs and runs community drop-ins

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that gives support for veterans and their families.

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And because it's run by the community,

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

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Let's Get A Good Thing Going.

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

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

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

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

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Shock delivered.

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And Amy and Katie,

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

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

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

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

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Right, let's open up for business.

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Come on in, everyone!

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

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champions have got to say.

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As they come in, they can make a cash donation

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towards the community fund.

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

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

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everybody will get a chance to vote,

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

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

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Here you all are!

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-How are you doing?

-All right, yeah.

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

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Who's nervous?

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

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

-I'm very, very nervous.

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Just breathe and relax.

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

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

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

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

-Thank you.

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

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APPLAUSE

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Well, hello!

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

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

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

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something that they're very, very passionate about.

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What is it?

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

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Give yourself a round of applause.

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That's what they share.

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APPLAUSE

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And because you've been so generous,

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

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

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Now, our four pitchers are backstage.

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They've prepared a presentation to explain their project,

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and explain the benefits to the community.

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

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

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who gets to get a good thing going.

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THEY CHEER

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Let's start with our first pitch.

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This is a man who's got a novel approach

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to rebuild, restore and renew.

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

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Thank you for this invitation to be here.

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

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in the town of Pontypridd...

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

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

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

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because it gives you a great satisfaction inside.

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

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Pontypridd is at the bottom of the Valleys,

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which traditionally are a great place for a welcome,

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for people working hard, and looking after each other.

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

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Son Joshua is proud of his dad.

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He does do a lot for the community.

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

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sometimes every Saturday.

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Over the last five years,

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

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We developed a community cafe.

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Like all community projects,

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

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We started up a job club with Christians Against Poverty.

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And then, on the back of that,

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

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Tina Rankin is the manager of the church cafe,

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and works closely with Peter.

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

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He just really, really wants to connect with people

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and help bring people to where they need to be.

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

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

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very hard to bring communities to pull back together.

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Unemployment here is higher than the UK average,

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with 5.3% of the RCT community out of work.

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

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

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

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

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they feel more optimistic, more self-assurance,

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and they feel they can overcome barriers.

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

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You know, a safe place, safe environment,

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if you just want to meet people,

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

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

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

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

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We have a huge amount of furniture

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which is just waiting to be worked upon.

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It's falling into disrepair,

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

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The project is going to start off as relating

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to those who are part of our job club.

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And it will help them in their search for work,

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in their confidence.

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

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and I'm sure that employers, when they see

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that kind of CV information,

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

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I'm here to chat to you about furniture.

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

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so that we can improve furniture and restore it.

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

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And if you had something like this in the house,

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

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

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

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"It's not worth anything."

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

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something like this and make it into something great.

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We want to try and rebuild and restore and renew things

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that perhaps are left by the side,

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or maybe even people who are left behind.

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

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Here's something which one person,

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

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and she said,

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"Can I share my skills with other people?"

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This represents hard work and creativity

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and a way of taking something

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

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

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we've got people waiting to share skills.

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

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

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

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

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I'd love for you to help.

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For his furniture restoration programme, Peter wants...

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Well done. Not too bad, was it?

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Thank you.

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

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

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-OK.

-Gentleman there in the red.

-Hi, Peter, talking about

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all these people restoring the furniture -

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

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

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enterprise, so it's not just a hobby,

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it's something that's going somewhere bigger.

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And that income that will come from selling these things

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will go back into

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the community projects which are already up and going,

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helping people with addictions, helping people into employment,

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helping people who have got debt pushing them down.

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Great question, thank you.

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So, anybody else got a question?

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Gentleman there in the blue T-shirt, yes.

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

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to do this sort of work?

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

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

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and then see what happens.

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The person who is doing this is in their twenties.

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

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And some people who are approaching retirement age,

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they wanted to get involved.

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But so did younger people.

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

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OK, thanks very much.

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And I think as well, predominantly, Peter,

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

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

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to encourage new connections between people.

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

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different areas around the town, different backgrounds,

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

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Round of applause for Peter, please, everybody!

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CROWD CHEERS

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

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In long-term unemployment, psychological problems can linger.

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Picking up a new job or learning a new skill

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can alleviate these mental issues.

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

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because it tastes delicious.

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However, the Prichard Street Allotment Association

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

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To find out more, please welcome Caryl Thomas.

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CROWN CHEERS

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-Here you are, Caryl.

-Thank you.

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Thank you, Kevin.

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As Kevin said, my name's Caryl Thomas,

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and I'm here tonight on behalf of

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the Prichard Street Allotments Association in Tonyrefail.

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Retired nurse Caryl lives on the edge of Tonyrefail,

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with her husband Rhys.

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

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I've had two knee replacements.

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It does cut my mobility down quite a lot,

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so I have to watch what I'm doing.

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

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

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So, it is my bit of heaven on earth.

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

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And it's well used by many others.

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Caryl's been the secretary of

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Prichard Street Allotment Association for

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the past eight years.

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She's as good as gold.

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

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involves herself in most projects in the local area.

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I love being over here.

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

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because some days I'm thinking, you know,

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I don't really want to get out.

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

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

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you'll still been chatting to people.

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

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maybe not physically, but mentally,

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you feel so much better because

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you've had that interaction with other people.

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What are you doing down here this afternoon?

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

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Idris Greening has been tending his allotment on the site

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for almost 30 years.

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I'm always down here all the time.

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Marvellous, can't fault it.

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-Take your time now.

-I will.

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And don't take too much soil with you.

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-Oh, sshh now!

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

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

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

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There isn't any steps on the plot.

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

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

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

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

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-can enjoy the allotment.

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

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

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

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

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It's sort of a hidden statistic, really.

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That, you know,

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

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

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

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

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

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the less able access to our allotment site.

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

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And he does all the heavy jobs on the allotment.

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Some people don't have this.

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

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tremendously with my mental health.

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Motivation to get involved.

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

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

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

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

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and he missed the social interaction.

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He became isolated and he complained of being lonely.

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There's a study by the University of York

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that found out that lonely people

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are more likely to suffer a stroke or heart disease.

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We as allotmenteers are a passionate community in RCT.

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We love to sow and nurture our plants.

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But we also realise that this is very restrictive

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to some members in the community at large.

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

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

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

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without the demands of a whole allotment plot.

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For some people in the community,

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it would offer them a new and exciting opportunity

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to change their lifestyle, to give them a purpose,

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resulting in a beneficial way of life.

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Thank you.

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CROWD CHEERS

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To make her allotment more accessible

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to gardeners of all abilities,

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Caryl wants...

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Hello, Caryl!

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All right?

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Well done! Brilliant.

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Oh!

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Bless you!

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Caryl was really nervous there, everyone. She said,

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

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You did brilliantly. Didn't she do brilliantly?

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Well done, well done, well done.

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-Thank you.

-Now...

0:17:480:17:49

I can't let you go just yet.

0:17:500:17:51

-I know.

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

0:17:510:17:54

Gentleman over there, please.

0:17:540:17:55

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

0:17:550:17:59

Well, we looked at the price of everything

0:17:590:18:02

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

0:18:020:18:05

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

0:18:050:18:10

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

0:18:100:18:14

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

0:18:140:18:17

We can explore more people.

0:18:170:18:19

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

0:18:190:18:23

-Yeah.

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

0:18:230:18:25

It is. When you become an allotmenteer,

0:18:250:18:27

you join a different part of the society,

0:18:270:18:30

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

0:18:300:18:32

"What are you growing?"

0:18:320:18:34

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

0:18:340:18:37

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

0:18:370:18:39

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

-Thank you very much.

-Round of applause for Caryl Thomas, please.

0:18:390:18:44

Cor, that was really hard work!

0:18:480:18:51

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

0:18:540:18:58

helps individuals keep a positive outlook on life

0:18:580:19:01

and a healthy mental state.

0:19:010:19:03

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

0:19:040:19:07

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

0:19:070:19:10

The young lady here - anybody taken your fancy yet?

0:19:100:19:12

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

0:19:120:19:16

absolutely brilliant.

0:19:160:19:17

I certainly think that they deserve the money.

0:19:170:19:20

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

0:19:200:19:27

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

0:19:270:19:29

that people can buy, is really worthwhile -

0:19:290:19:32

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

0:19:320:19:34

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

0:19:340:19:37

and the next project is literally life-saving.

0:19:370:19:40

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

0:19:400:19:42

Please welcome Steven Davies.

0:19:420:19:45

APPLAUSE

0:19:450:19:47

Good luck, Steve.

0:19:500:19:55

Hi.

0:19:580:19:59

I'm Steven Davies.

0:19:590:20:01

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

0:20:010:20:04

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

0:20:050:20:09

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

0:20:090:20:13

for a cause very close to his heart.

0:20:130:20:15

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

0:20:150:20:18

all raising money for different charities,

0:20:180:20:20

different reasons for running.

0:20:200:20:22

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

0:20:220:20:24

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

0:20:240:20:29

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

0:20:300:20:33

Steve's wife Marie knows he has great determination.

0:20:330:20:37

Steve is a very passionate guy.

0:20:370:20:40

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

0:20:410:20:45

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

0:20:450:20:48

"What can I do?

0:20:480:20:49

"How can I make this better?

0:20:490:20:51

"There is a shortfall there..."

0:20:510:20:53

Very, very community-based bloke, really.

0:20:530:20:57

Steve has been closely involved with a campaign to install

0:20:570:21:00

community defibrillators.

0:21:000:21:02

These are devices that help save lives by delivering

0:21:020:21:05

a controlled electric shock to the heart

0:21:050:21:08

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

0:21:080:21:12

I was involved in an incident

0:21:120:21:14

back last year, where a male collapsed.

0:21:150:21:19

We believe he was suffering from a cardiac arrest.

0:21:190:21:21

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

0:21:210:21:24

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

0:21:240:21:28

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

0:21:280:21:32

Whilst defibrillators are more widely available,

0:21:320:21:35

members of the public are still afraid to use them.

0:21:350:21:38

Steve knows that, with just one training session,

0:21:380:21:41

he can help people lose that fear.

0:21:410:21:43

Steve's friend, electrician Darren Owen,

0:21:430:21:46

has been installing defibrillators

0:21:460:21:48

that have been funded by community voluntary groups.

0:21:480:21:50

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

0:21:500:21:53

Pads underneath...

0:21:530:21:55

-DEFIBRILLATOR:

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

0:21:550:22:00

Top of the chest there.

0:22:000:22:02

Just follow the instructions and look at the diagram.

0:22:020:22:04

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

0:22:040:22:07

So, all you do then, follow the instructions.

0:22:070:22:10

Stand clear. Deliver shock now.

0:22:100:22:13

Shock delivered.

0:22:130:22:15

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

0:22:150:22:19

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

0:22:190:22:22

Training everyone is the key thing for me.

0:22:220:22:24

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

0:22:240:22:27

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

0:22:290:22:33

certified defibrillator trainer.

0:22:330:22:35

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

0:22:350:22:38

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

0:22:380:22:41

within Rhondda Cynon Taff

0:22:410:22:43

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

0:22:430:22:47

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

0:22:470:22:51

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

0:22:510:22:54

as many people fear.

0:22:540:22:55

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

0:22:550:22:57

to ask for your support to buy a training device,

0:22:570:22:59

so I can do far more training.

0:22:590:23:01

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

0:23:010:23:05

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

0:23:050:23:09

training as well.

0:23:090:23:10

APPLAUSE

0:23:100:23:13

For his defibrillator training sessions,

0:23:140:23:17

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

0:23:170:23:20

CROWD CHEERS

0:23:280:23:30

You did great.

0:23:300:23:33

Brilliant.

0:23:330:23:35

Who's got the first question for Steve?

0:23:380:23:40

-Yes, sir.

-Hi, Steve.

0:23:400:23:42

-Hi.

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

0:23:420:23:45

if you had more money?

0:23:450:23:46

It's not so much money.

0:23:470:23:50

One of these devices costs roughly about £500.

0:23:500:23:54

So, if I was able to get one device,

0:23:540:23:57

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

0:23:570:24:00

to go out and train people,

0:24:000:24:02

I could train thousands of people with one device.

0:24:020:24:04

My mission is to keep supporting

0:24:040:24:07

basic life-support skills.

0:24:070:24:09

I'm not an expert in this field,

0:24:090:24:11

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

0:24:110:24:13

not to be afraid of using or accessing these machines.

0:24:130:24:18

With early recognition that someone has suffered a cardiac arrest,

0:24:180:24:22

with early defibrillation, leading to advanced medical care,

0:24:220:24:26

a person would have a 53% chance of survival.

0:24:260:24:30

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

0:24:300:24:33

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

0:24:330:24:38

APPLAUSE

0:24:380:24:40

Brilliant.

0:24:410:24:43

Steve, you're off the hook.

0:24:480:24:50

Well done. Steve Davies, everybody!

0:24:500:24:52

Now, it's well known that the British

0:24:580:25:01

are a nation of animal lovers,

0:25:010:25:02

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

0:25:020:25:07

Please welcome Katie Schofield and Amy Greenfield.

0:25:070:25:11

AUDIENCE CHEERS

0:25:110:25:14

Thank you!

0:25:270:25:29

My name is Amy

0:25:300:25:32

and this is my friend Katie.

0:25:320:25:34

-Hello.

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

0:25:340:25:38

Ready?

0:25:410:25:42

Good boy!

0:25:440:25:45

We're really lucky here at Hope,

0:25:460:25:47

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

0:25:470:25:51

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

0:25:510:25:54

It's a brilliant place to work.

0:25:540:25:56

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

0:25:560:25:58

but we also have a lot to do with people,

0:25:580:26:00

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

0:26:000:26:03

respite services and things like that.

0:26:030:26:06

This is Sausage, my little Jack Russell cross.

0:26:060:26:11

She comes to work with me quite often.

0:26:110:26:13

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

0:26:130:26:16

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

0:26:160:26:21

-were you, Mam?

-No.

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

0:26:210:26:24

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

0:26:240:26:27

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

0:26:270:26:30

My background is in kind of design and product management

0:26:300:26:34

and things like that,

0:26:340:26:35

but I wanted to do something that made a difference,

0:26:350:26:38

which was how I got into charity work.

0:26:380:26:40

And then to come to work for Hope,

0:26:400:26:41

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

0:26:410:26:44

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

0:26:450:26:48

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

0:26:480:26:52

to help rescue and rehouse dogs across South Wales.

0:26:520:26:55

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

0:26:550:26:59

through its shop doors.

0:26:590:27:00

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

0:27:000:27:04

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

0:27:050:27:08

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

0:27:080:27:11

Katie and Amy want to bring in tutors

0:27:110:27:14

and provide free craft sessions,

0:27:140:27:16

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

0:27:160:27:19

socialise.

0:27:190:27:21

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

0:27:210:27:24

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

0:27:240:27:28

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

0:27:280:27:31

they might want to go out and have some company,

0:27:310:27:33

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

0:27:330:27:36

a coffee, a cake, maybe a Welsh cake,

0:27:360:27:38

and then they get to know other people.

0:27:380:27:40

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

0:27:400:27:46

At the rescue centre,

0:27:470:27:49

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

0:27:490:27:53

And we find them loving, forever homes.

0:27:530:27:56

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

0:27:560:27:59

centre, and also the local community.

0:27:590:28:01

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

0:28:010:28:06

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

0:28:060:28:10

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

0:28:100:28:14

What we really want to create with the shop

0:28:140:28:16

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

0:28:160:28:19

and the craft courses will be a part of that.

0:28:190:28:21

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

0:28:210:28:25

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

0:28:250:28:28

We've got some of our lovely things here

0:28:280:28:31

that have already been made by some volunteers for us.

0:28:310:28:34

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

0:28:340:28:37

Hello, sweetie!

0:28:420:28:43

Good girl!

0:28:430:28:45

So, Holly is a Hope rescue dog,

0:28:450:28:48

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

0:28:480:28:51

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

0:28:510:28:55

But the reason behind the crafting,

0:28:550:28:57

it's not just about creating wonderful products,

0:28:570:29:01

it's about people,

0:29:010:29:02

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

0:29:020:29:06

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

0:29:060:29:09

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

0:29:090:29:14

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

0:29:140:29:18

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

0:29:180:29:23

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

0:29:230:29:27

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

0:29:270:29:31

crafting classes and lots of lovely,

0:29:310:29:32

inspiring craft materials for everybody to use.

0:29:320:29:35

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

0:29:350:29:38

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

0:29:380:29:40

participating.

0:29:400:29:42

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

0:29:420:29:45

crafters in knitting some dog coats for dogs like Holly.

0:29:450:29:48

Thank you very much.

0:29:480:29:50

Thank you.

0:29:500:29:52

AUDIENCE APPLAUDS

0:29:520:29:55

-That's good! Yes!

-Great jumper! I like that!

0:29:550:29:58

And a big round of applause

0:29:580:30:00

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

0:30:000:30:04

Thank you.

0:30:040:30:05

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

0:30:080:30:12

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

0:30:170:30:20

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

0:30:200:30:22

So, this is kind of the smaller size.

0:30:220:30:25

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

0:30:250:30:30

looks, materials.

0:30:300:30:33

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

0:30:330:30:35

-It does feel soft, doesn't it?

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

0:30:350:30:38

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

0:30:380:30:41

Then we go up to extra large, as well.

0:30:410:30:45

We're going to take some questions.

0:30:450:30:46

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

0:30:460:30:49

-Question there, please?

-Hello.

0:30:490:30:50

How many people want to sign up for your classes,

0:30:510:30:54

and what would they do with their new skills?

0:30:540:30:57

Well, it depends when you want to come.

0:30:570:30:59

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

0:30:590:31:02

so we'd hold different classes at different times.

0:31:020:31:04

Depends what you want to learn.

0:31:040:31:06

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

0:31:060:31:08

of a weekend, and we'll make sure

0:31:080:31:10

that the shop and the space is available to

0:31:100:31:12

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

0:31:120:31:15

Thank you very much for your question.

0:31:150:31:16

Another question for Katie and Amy, please?

0:31:160:31:18

-Lady over there.

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

0:31:180:31:22

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

0:31:220:31:25

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

0:31:250:31:28

-these classes?

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

0:31:280:31:31

crafting sessions at the charity shop.

0:31:310:31:33

So, whether that's using craft as therapy,

0:31:330:31:36

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

0:31:360:31:40

will lead to further training or employment,

0:31:400:31:42

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

0:31:420:31:45

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

0:31:450:31:48

get some confidence, as well,

0:31:480:31:49

and grow their life skills.

0:31:490:31:51

-Great, thank you.

-Thanks for your question.

0:31:510:31:53

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

0:31:530:31:55

-for Katie and Amy.

-Thank you.

0:31:550:31:58

APPLAUSE

0:31:580:32:02

Latest studies from psychology and neuroscience

0:32:060:32:09

suggest that the brain has

0:32:090:32:11

an astonishing ability to learn and master new skills,

0:32:110:32:14

whatever your age.

0:32:140:32:15

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

0:32:150:32:21

including maintaining and enhancing cognitive health.

0:32:210:32:24

Well, that is it,

0:32:250:32:26

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

0:32:260:32:31

who have shared their dreams.

0:32:310:32:32

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

0:32:320:32:36

Well, let's have a recap.

0:32:360:32:37

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

0:32:370:32:40

who wants to help local unemployment by offering training on furniture

0:32:400:32:44

renovation. The Reverend Peter! Yes!

0:32:440:32:48

CROWD CHEERS

0:32:480:32:50

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

0:32:520:32:56

who want to welcome gardeners

0:32:560:32:58

of all ages and all abilities.

0:32:580:33:01

Round of applause!

0:33:010:33:02

CROWD CHEERS

0:33:020:33:05

We also heard from Steve Davies,

0:33:050:33:07

who wants everyone to have life-saving skills.

0:33:070:33:10

What a pitch that was!

0:33:100:33:11

CROWD CHEERS

0:33:110:33:14

And Amy and Katie,

0:33:170:33:19

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

0:33:190:33:23

Round of applause for Amy and Katie.

0:33:230:33:26

CROWD CHEERS

0:33:260:33:29

So, their hard work is done.

0:33:320:33:34

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

0:33:340:33:36

But which project will serve the community best?

0:33:360:33:40

It's time to vote!

0:33:400:33:41

Everyone voting today has contributed towards a fund

0:33:470:33:52

that totals £505.35.

0:33:520:33:54

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

0:33:540:33:58

Nobody can resist that little face.

0:33:580:34:00

We were rubbish, but she was really good!

0:34:000:34:02

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

0:34:020:34:05

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

0:34:050:34:08

I was really proud of Dad tonight.

0:34:080:34:11

It was nice that people were understanding

0:34:110:34:13

what I was talking about.

0:34:130:34:14

I thought he did really well.

0:34:140:34:15

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

0:34:150:34:20

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

0:34:200:34:22

Wow!

0:34:250:34:26

Those are four very strong projects.

0:34:260:34:28

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

0:34:280:34:31

but also getting unemployed people to socialise.

0:34:310:34:34

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

0:34:340:34:38

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

0:34:380:34:39

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

0:34:410:34:44

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

0:34:440:34:47

-I was OK.

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

0:34:470:34:50

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

0:34:500:34:53

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

0:34:530:34:56

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

0:34:560:35:00

BOTH: Proud of Dad!

0:35:000:35:02

Ladies and gentlemen, you have voted.

0:35:110:35:14

And your votes have been counted and verified.

0:35:140:35:17

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

0:35:170:35:21

please welcome back our amazing champions.

0:35:210:35:24

Round of applause, please.

0:35:240:35:26

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

0:35:260:35:29

Well done.

0:35:330:35:35

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

0:35:400:35:46

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

0:35:460:35:49

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

0:35:500:35:54

is...

0:35:540:35:55

Steve's life-saving lessons!

0:36:000:36:01

-Well done, Steve.

-Well done.

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Thank you.

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Wow.

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Well done. Well done.

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I'm lost for words, really.

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-Yeah.

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

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and we can do more training, raise more awareness.

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

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

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

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

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together now to kind of cross over and things.

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We're already arranging meetings and things.

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I think the best person won.

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-Yeah.

-Yeah, really good.

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

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-What's that?

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

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

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Absolutely brilliant news, isn't it?

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-Yeah, so it's going.

-Delighted for Steve.

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

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-Daddy won!

-Daddy won!

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Wow! Wow!

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Wow! What a fabulous day.

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Four incredible projects, four inspirational groups,

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

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Just everybody's chatting to him,

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

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

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

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I think the overall winner today is the community.

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

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

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

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

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-Defibrillator?

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

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

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

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which means an awful lot for us.

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

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-How amazing is that?

-Nice.

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It's cool, isn't it?

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-Look.

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

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looking forward to helping more people.

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

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

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it will mean a lot to us.

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His wife Marie is fully behind him.

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

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He's done amazingly well.

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He's going to be really busy now.

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

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how many people can he outreach?

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

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and it's a big turnout.

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

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

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

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I hope to learn tonight how to use the defib

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confidently and successfully.

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

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-needed to use it.

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

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the use of a defibrillator.

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We had an incident recently in our church

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which demonstrated the need for a little bit more expertise.

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Bring yourself upright over the casualty

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and then push down five to six centimetres.

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

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I've got a defibrillator.

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So, the defibrillator's turned on there now.

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

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the body will move.

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

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

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Deliver shock now.

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Press the orange button.

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-DEFIBRILLATOR:

-Do not touch the patient.

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Sorry, mate!

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There you go.

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He died because I can't press the button!

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Why don't you have a go?

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There you go, look.

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

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help save a life.

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

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

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I just wanted to have a go.

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I thought it was exciting,

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

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it was a new experience.

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-There you go.

-Is that right?

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That's brilliant.

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So, hopefully you've all benefited from tonight,

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

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So, thanks very much.

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APPLAUSE

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Caryl Thomas was in the audience with her husband Rhys.

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

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just to see how the new defibrillators work,

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because we didn't know.

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And to see them in action, really.

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

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

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

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But the machine kicked in,

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talked me right through everything that we had to do,

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

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What about the runners-up and their projects?

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Peter Lewis wanted to set up a furniture restoration project

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to help people in the RCT who are unemployed.

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Since the pitch event,

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

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

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

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

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really sustainable, ready to start in the New Year.

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We had a good time together at the pitch.

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

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

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

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

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Caryl wanted disabled access and planters at her allotment for

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those with limited mobility.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Katie and Amy wanted to set up community craft classes above

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the animal rescue charity shop.

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

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

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collaboration we formed with the other contestants has been priceless.

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So, we're working with Peter,

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we're going to supply him with some furniture.

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

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

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to do a defib course,

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

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

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what are you waiting for?

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

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It has grown and grown and grown, the popularity.

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

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

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