Where are you from?

I live in Conwy in a village called Llanfair Talhaiarn towards the east of the county. My heart is rooted in the county. I have lived here for most of my life and I’ve worked with the area’s community and voluntary groups for over twenty years.

What are your main responsibilities as a Funding Officer?

I work with community groups and organisations in Conwy and I’m glad to be able to work with them from the start of their application journey. I talk to them about their idea or project, then discuss our grants with them to see if they are suitable to apply.

I encourage applicants to contact me anytime if they have questions or anything they’re unsure about. It’s great to be able to talk to them during the development process and share information about our grants and processes during those early days.

I also assess applications that come from Conwy for People and Places; as well as Awards for All applications from Conwy and Denbighshire. Once an application from Conwy is successful, I will then manage their grant from the start to the end of the project.

Do you have the opportunity to leave the office? 

I mainly work from home but I often get the opportunity to go out to meet groups and discuss their ideas face to face, and being able to do that is hugely beneficial. Not only do I get to know them, but they also get to know me and put a face to a name.

How do you deal with Welsh language applications?

Welsh is my first language and of course we offer the opportunity for any group or individual to contact us to discuss their idea or apply in Welsh. The application process can be done completely in Welsh, from beginning to end.

Give an example of a project funded in North Wales recently.

We recently funded Godre Hiraethog’s project through our Awards for All programme. They are located in Pentrefoelas but their catchment area is wide and includes very rural areas. I discussed the plan with the main contact in Welsh and she applied in Welsh too. All of their activities are held through the medium of Welsh so it was great to be able to offer a completely Welsh service to them.