Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru) are supporting Panathlon twice over.
Not only are they funding Panathlon events in Wales through the Welsh Water Community Fund, but their staff are volunteering to help on the day, providing invaluable practical assistance.
The Community Fund considers several criteria when making their awards – including the legacy and uniqueness of the projects.
“We like to have a longstanding relationship with projects – that’s how the volunteering started,” says Sian Pritchard, Welsh Water’s community engagement officer for North Wales. She explains that Welsh Water encourage their staff to spend one working day a year to volunteer with a project. Often that might be a litter-pick or a beach-clean – but now it might be helping out at a Panathlon event.
“Until you go to an event, you can’t really grasp how amazing they are,” she says. “It leaves a real feelgood factor, it lifts morale, and you learn so much.
“I’ve done sports that I’ve never played before, going to these events, and there’s something rewarding about working with children. This is something out of the box compared to what we would do day to day – especially when you’re in an operational company. You sometimes see the public but you rarely get to work with children. This is something great we can offer our staff.”
Best of all, for a nationwide set-up like Welsh Water, there are Panathlon events all over the country.
“We have staff in every corner of Wales – I even got to do an event in the village where I was at high school!” adds Sian. “Panathlon are very good at finding areas and bringing schools together.”
