Children supported by Swansea-based charity The Roots Foundation were given an Easter treat thanks to a donation of Easter eggs by local business AB Glass.
Alan Brayley, the managing director of the aluminium and glass installation specialist, presented some 25 Easter eggs to Emma Lewis, chairperson of The Roots Foundation. The initiative was also supported by HM Lord-Lieutenant of West Glamorgan Louise Fleet, in one of her first face-to-face engagements following the recent lifting of lockdown restrictions.
The Roots Foundation is an independent, volunteer-led charity based in Swansea, which supports young people in care, care leavers, children in need, and young adults who have left care, with the transition period of independent living. In 2020 they were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the equivalent of the MBE for the voluntary sector.
The charity aims to offer a bespoke and holistic service to its clients, encouraging and empowering individuals to positively participate within society and gain new skills and experiences. It provides support, assistance and advice for young people leaving care, and individuals who have left care, offering workshops on finance, cooking, budgeting, health, employment, relationships, and parenting.
AB Glass first linked with the charity when it volunteered to help on the DIY SOS: Children in Need Big Build Special, back in 2017. Its staff were part of the team of 800 volunteers who transformed a derelict site in Ravenhill Road into a spectacular new purpose-built centre for the charity.
Alan Brayley, managing director of AB Glass, said:
“We are delighted to be able to make this donation and, hopefully, bring a smile to a few young faces, during what has been a very challenging year for so many people. The Roots Foundation does enormously important work for families in need, as well as supporting and encouraging young people leaving care.
“It’s particularly gratifying, therefore, that we were joined by HM Lord-Lieutenant Louise Fleet while making this donation to such a deserving cause.”
HM Lord-Lieutenant of West Glamorgan Louise Fleet is a former High Sheriff for West Glamorgan and has been a resident of the Sketty area of Swansea for more than 40 years. A Justice of the Peace, she has strong local links within the community and supports a number of charities.
HM Lord-Lieutenant Louise Fleet said:
“The Roots Foundation is an amazing charity and won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2020 for their fantastic work with young people. They rely on the support of the local community and local businesses and it’s great to see companies such as AB Glass supporting such local worthy causes.”
Emma Lewis, chairperson of The Roots Foundation, added:
“Everyone here at The Roots Foundation Wales are extremely grateful to receive the wonderful donation of Easter Eggs from all of the staff at AB Glass – it genuinely means so much to us that you continue to think of us and the young people in our care. We are grateful to have you as part of the Roots extended family! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we will ensure that they are delivered to the young people who access the charity.”