The Guild of Freemen of Pembroke donated £250 to Tanyard Youth Project. The donation was presented to Sue Lines, Project Manager.

Based in Pembroke, the Tanyard Youth Project provides free and inclusive leisure activities for 300+ children and young people aged 10-25, supporting their mental health and well-being by providing a safe place to be in a deprived rural area. Members live in and around Pembroke and Pembroke Dock, where some wards, like Monkton, are in the top 10 per cent of the most deprived in Wales.

The Master of the Gild of Freemen of Pembroke, Cllr Dennis Evans, along with Gild members Graham Phillips and Phil Thompson, toured the premises and spoke with staff and members. Also present were Gild members Lyn Edwards, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Tanyard, and Roger Jones, also a trustee.

Sue Lines outlined the history and work of the Tanyard explaining that most of the members live in poverty and cannot afford to pay for leisure activities, so they miss essential learning opportunities and developmental experiences growing up. They also often arrive at the centre hungry.

She said: “Children and young people love to join in with cooking at the Tanyard, among many other activities, and we try to ensure that nobody goes hungry. In a recent evening session young people were cooking and eating their own home-made pizza using baguettes, cheese, ham, and tomatoes. The cost to us was about 65p per pizza.

“We are delighted with our donation from the Gild of Freemen of Pembroke, as this will enable us to provide about 385 mini meals for our lovely members, and of course the Gild is most welcome to visit us again and to try out the pizza!”