Peredur Owen Griffiths MS has hailed the efforts of volunteers for making their communities better places.
The Plaid Cymru South Wales East MS made the comments in a keynote speech at an event organised by the Torfaen Voluntary Alliance. Peredur told the assembled volunteers at the Coed Eva and Hollybush Community Centre that “our communities would be much poorer in spirit and kindness without you.”
He added: “I know you do not do this for the praise but please know that your selflessness is appreciated. I don’t think you are always told this enough.”
During the speech Peredur spoke of the need to ensure volunteers “have the tools” to do the job needed to improve their communities, chief among them a community right to buy. While communities in Scotland and England have the right to buy local assets, their counterparts in Wales do not enjoy the same rights.
Peredur said this anomaly has to change in order to give volunteers the policies that match their ambition and endeavour for their communities.
Peredur also said community sprit is alive and well in Wales.
“Anyone who may have thought this tradition had been lost over the years only need to look at how our communities responded to the coronavirus pandemic,” he said.
“Throughout Wales, people collectively gave up thousands of hours of their time to ensure that vulnerable neighbours needing to shield had their groceries and medication delivered to their doorstep.
“During the peaks of the pandemic, when despair was all too easy to find, I took great solace in this heart-warming and human response.”
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