THE WINNER FOR SOUTH WALES IS...

Y Bont

Y Bont charity in Bridgend is a centre dedicated to providing care and support to babies and pre-school children with a disability. The centre entered the Big Birthday Giveaway hoping to receive money to help fund a project to develop the speech and language skills of children at their day centres in Bridgend and Caerau, near Maesteg.

The award means the Y Bont resource centre in Ewenny Road, Bridgend, will be able to finance the creation of an area in each of the day centres to provide a quiet and comfortable environment for the children to sit and participate in story-time.

The £5,000 will pay for the purchase of children’s furniture, story sacks, puppets and books, a specially-adapted chair for children with cerebral palsy, a touch-screen children’s computer and other aids.

Y Bont general manager Marged Griffiths said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been chosen to receive this money from Principality Building Society. It will mean such a lot to the centre and the special community of babies and children it serves in Bridgend, Neath and Port Talbot, and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

“Research has shown that early intervention greatly enhances a child’s future prospects and that reading to young children can help improve language skills and understanding, along with a wide range of benefits such as development of self-confidence, learning through pictures and words, recognising feelings and emotions, developing communication skills and self-expression.

“Improving speech and language skills through shared story-time is also an excellent preparation for the transition to school, enabling some children to access mainstream school or assessment units within mainstream school instead of special needs schools.”