How Jig-So children's charity battled through pandemic

Now in its 29th year, Canolfan Plant Jig-So Children’s Centre delivers services and support to families in Ceredigion, North Pembrokeshire and West Carmarthenshire.

Working from home, staff developed virtual sessions for coffee and chats and videos which included storytelling, along with many diverse activities that children and parents could do at home.

Their efforts have been acknowledged by trustees who have also ‘greatly appreciated’ the charity’s funders for their support over the past fourteen months.

“Staff have developed and facilitate 12 different peer support groups online as well as consistently filling our Facebook page with activities and Information throughout the week,” they said in a statement.

“No fewer than 1,427 themed activity packs were prepared and posted out to children, while our successful Barod I’r Ysgol Lottery-funded project continued sessions online.

“Staff have also continued to deliver a significant number of 1:1 virtual support sessions to individual families and catch-up phone calls.”

At the beginning of the pandemic senior staff delivered food parcels to families and at Christmas the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Dyfed provided funding for food hampers and Christmas Eve boxes for local children.

In addition, a benefactor provided a number of Christmas gifts along with a significant number of early years bilingual books from BookStart Cymru.

Start-up cooking sets for children funded by the Welsh Government via the Cardigan Food Bank were also distributed.

A Clynfyw Project enabled Jig-So to provide some new divans and mattresses, while staff even managed a virtual carol service with families and a local care home.

In the last few months staff have also been delivering virtual home fire safety checks on behalf of Mid & West Wales Fire Service.

*William Bowen and Brianne Gurney-Hoyland were winners of Jig-So’s ‘Design a Christmas Jumper’ competition.