Clwyd West AM Darren Millar has praised the efforts of faith groups in delivering youth work across Wales.
Speaking in the Senedd last week, he said faith groups such as Antioch and Sure Hope Churches in Colwyn Bay, St Mary’s and North Coast Church in Towyn, and Kinmel Bay Church, make a “tremendous contribution and that faith groups are the largest provider of youth work in the country”. He asked the Deputy Minister for Education and Skills what is being done to support them.
Referring to the ‘Faith in Wales’ report, which was published by Gweini a number of years ago, he said:
“The report made mention of the fact that there were around 1,000 youth projects that were faith based across Wales and that, of those, a significant proportion were done on a voluntary basis, with volunteers contributing to the £40 million-worth of volunteer hours that were noted in the report.”
He added: “A youth group is considered a must for most churches today. When families are looking for a new church, a 'good' youth group is often a major consideration. Here in Clwyd West we are very fortunate to have some excellent church youth groups which have done some tremendous work over the years. They deserve praise, recognition and support for all they do for our communities.”