A VOLUNTARY playgroup, based at Narberth’s Bloomfield Community Centre, is the latest winners of the Pride in Pembrokeshire Award.

Cylch Meithrin Arberth provides children with the opportunity to benefit from Welsh-medium early years care and education.

Launched in 2017, the Pride in Pembrokeshire award is presented monthly to a voluntary group whose work has made a real difference to local people and communities.

The award is a partnership between the Pembrokeshire Public Services Board (PSB) and the Western Telegraph – with each winning entry awarded £200.

Cylch Meithrin Arberthr recognises the importance of play in children’s development and the experiences and activities offered by the playgroup are based on that understanding.

The playgroup is an important part of the community, being the only Welsh playgroup in Narberth and feeding into the Welsh stream at Narberth CP School.

The management committee, which oversees the day-to-day running of the playgroup, is all volunteers.

Committee chairman Sinéad Lewis said: “Our playgroup is run by a group of young parents who all work full time but manage to put in extra voluntary hours to ensure the playgroup is viable and sustainable.

“The committee work very hard and without them we could not operate and would have to close. We rely solely on fundraising and the fees parents pay for their children’s place at the setting.”

In choosing Cylch Meithrin Arberth, the judges were particularly impressed with the group’s strong commitment to volunteering, the self-sustaining nature of their activities and the valuable work they do to provide opportunities for young children to benefit from early years care and education through the medium of Welsh.

To submit an application to be considered for a Pride in Pembrokeshire Award, download the application form from the PAVS website – pavs.org.uk – or contact PAVS on 01437 769422 for a hard copy.