Plaid AM joins charity calls for public funding
Plaid AM Dr. Dai Lloyd has written to Welsh Assembly Government Ministers Edwina Hart and Jane Hutt calling for state funding for a Swansea charity.
Dr. Lloyd recently visited the Christian Lewis Trust based on Walter Road, a registered children’s cancer charity that provides care and support for families affected by children’s cancer.
The Christian Lewis Trust receives the majority of their referrals from local health authorities, social services and education authorities. However, the trust receives no funding whatsoever from any of these sources or from the Welsh Assembly Government to help with the provision of the specialist services that they offer.
Dr. Lloyd stated:
“During my recent visit to the Christian Lewis Trust I was hugely impressed with the quality of the services being provided to children and families going through very tough times. The key issue is the need for funding to help maintain the high calibre of their services in terms of adequate premises, professional administration and to maintain professional counselling standards.
“The trust currently cares for around 80 children and over 200 children will receive therapy or counselling of some sort from the Trust each year.
“Christian Lewis Trust really is a very impressive organisation, carrying out hugely impressive and much-needed counselling support for the whole local area of Swansea and beyond. They currently operate from very small premises funded by volunteers and other charities such as Children in Need.”
Dr. Lloyd added:
“In view of the success of the Christian Lewis Trust and the increasing amount of referrals they receive, much of which are directly from NHS and social services, plainly the present premises, administration and funding are struggling to cope with the demand.
“I am calling on Edwina Hart and Jane Hutt to look into the funding mechanisms which are currently operating, to see if finances can be provided from local education authority and health budgets to help meet this growing cost.”
