It has been a very busy year at Gig Buddies Cymru. We are thrilled to have launched in Neath, Port Talbot and Swansea, but have had to make the tough decision to pause our work in Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Vale of Glamorgan.
Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Vale of Glamorgan
We are disappointed to announce that we have had to pause our work in Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, RCT and the Vale of Glamorgan from 1 October 2024. We are very sad to have had to make this decision, but we don’t have funding to continue in these areas.
We will continue to support our existing Gig Buddy pairs in these counties, and participants who were waiting to be matched can continue to attend our socials in our other areas. But it sadly means we are unable to accept new applications from participants or volunteers.
We are working hard to try and secure further funding for these areas, and we always welcome conversations about exploring partnerships and funding, like how we have achieved bringing Gig Buddies to Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot. Please get in touch.
Neath, Port Talbot and Swansea
The excitement is just beginning in our new area, which started in July. With Danielle Wagstaff leading the way as our coordinator, the energy and interest from the community has been incredible. We’ve spent time mapping out the area and building relationships with local organisations, including securing a permanent stand at Raspberry Creatives, a community venue in Port Talbot.
Our outreach efforts have taken us to 2 music festivals, a popular new play, a concert, an African talent show, a huge Swansea Parent Carer Forum event at Swansea Arena, and a family fun day. We’ve also held several drop-in sessions for people interested in joining Gig Buddies and we’re thrilled to have already recruited 7 participants in Neath Port Talbot, 2 in Swansea, and 1 volunteer in NPT.
We recently held a successful launch party in Port Talbot and are excited about our upcoming Swansea launch gig, headlined by the popular Welsh language band, Adwaith, at Elysium on Friday 22 November. Tickets are now on sale (with discounted tickets available for Gig Buddies and project partners): buy your ticket here.
The most exciting milestone so far? We’ve made our first match: Natalie and Natalie!
In Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot we are thankful to be funded by the West Glamorgan Partnership Board and are proud to have created a project partnership with learning disability providers, advocacy organisations and arts venues.
North Wales
We are really pleased with our 5 new Gig Buddy matches in north Wales, pairing Tracey with Caren, Paul with Hedydd, Harry with Eli, Natalie with Amanda, and Victoria with Nicole. We also welcomed 4 new participants and 2 volunteers to the project.
One of our highlights was being featured in an ITV story about transport, particularly the issues with public transport in north Wales. Our transport advisor, Mark Jones, shared his insights, alongside 2 of our Gig Buddy participants.
Three of our participants have formed ‘The Three Amigos’, a group to plan social events, including reviewing them after so they can be even better next time. We recently held a successful social amongst the lively buzz of Chester Market’s food hall. Gig Buddies enjoyed the opportunity of travelling to England for a social, and some buddies came from as far as Ynys Mon and Gwynedd, supporting each other to travel by train.
At the Denbigh and Flint show we were thankful to our 2 volunteers and a participant who helped with our stall to recruit new volunteers.
We are funded in north Wales thanks to the North Wales Transformation Grant and WCVA Volunteering Grant (until September 2024). We are also incredibly grateful for continued funding support from First Choice Housing Association. We will be seeking further funding from April 2025.
Cardiff
We recently matched 3 new pairs in Cardiff – Julian with Morgan, Steffan with Tommy, and Paul with Phil – bringing our current total in the area to 42 pairs.
One of our participants, Richie, had an unforgettable experience in the summer, attending his first camping festival, 2000 Trees. Richie helped Gig Buddies Gloucestershire to run a stall in the festival’s main arena, signing up new volunteers for Gig Buddy projects across the UK, including Wales, and was interviewed for the festival’s Instagram page. Richie’s interview has been watched over 20,000 times.
Richie’s journey didn’t end there. As part of our new partnership with the Welsh Music Prize, Richie became a juror and helped to pick albums that were selected for the Awards’ shortlist. Richie also sat on our interview panel for our new Project Support Coordinator, and he will be chairing Learning Disability Wales’ annual conference in Swansea!
We’ve also been busy with social events. We helped Cardiff People First to organise a fundraising gig at the Moon Club, featuring live music, karaoke and Gig Buddies learning to DJ. Earlier this month we took over 30 Gig Buddies to the Welsh Music Prize at the Wales Millennium Centre.
Another highlight has been the inclusive band that Gig Buddies and other people with a learning disability has formed thanks to funding from Ty Cerdd. Many of the musicians in the band had not played an instrument until earlier this year. Bwthyn Sonig Collective had the honour of performing at the National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd in the summer and recently held their first Cardiff show at Wales Millennium Centre’s cabaret lounge, as part of a night celebrating music from learning disability and neurodivergent artists.
We are delighted to be funded in Cardiff by the Cardiff Shared Prosperity Fund, which runs until March 2025.
New logo and a new Welsh name
Gig Buddy projects across the UK have been uniting with new and similar logos, to help people recognise if there is a project close to them. We were thrilled to unveil our new logo last month.
As part of our glow-up, we have a new name – Ffrindiau Gig Cymru.
New staff roles
- Danielle Wagstaff is our new project coordinator for Neath, Port Talbot and Swansea.
- Emma Scott Davies is our new project support coordinator.
- Kai Jones is our new Development Officer.
- We are also thankful to have Julie Sangani helping us to secure new funding as part of her role as Business Development Manager for Learning Disability Wales.
Get in touch with the Gig Buddies team: email gigbuddies@ldw.org.uk, phone 029 2068 1160 or find us on social media at @GigBuddiesCymru.
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