A HOUSING association has donated funds to a St Athan charity which aims to improve local play areas.

Newydd Housing Association has given £2,000 to SAINTS, set up by residents Lisa Austin, Hannah Dineen, Charlotte Jennings, and Sally Gardener along with councillor David Elston, in 2015.

The charity aims to bring the community closer together and inspire children to respect the area and grow up feeling proud of where they live.

The first focus is to improve the park in the village before improving other play facilities in the area, where no improvements are said to have taken place for two decades.

More than £1,500 was raised by the group itself through a family fun day.

Charity founder Lisa Austin said: “We set up the charity to improve the community spirit and to create a safe play environment for the children to socialise. Nothing has happened in the area for a long time and these changes create a positive impact on people’s mind.”

Fellow resident and mum Linsey Gordon, of The Old Station, in St Athan, added: “I’ve lived in St Athan since I was four and thanks to Newydd and SAINTS I can stay in St Athan and bring up my children here which means the world to me. The charity is great for all the kids and the work the charity does is fantastic for the community.”

Newydd’s contribution is the single biggest contribution the charity has received.

Newydd community regeneration manager Rachel Honey-Jones said it was a great pleasure to support the charity.

“We utilised our community benefit clause as part of our contract with Jehu Project Services, who built our development at The Old Station, on Gileston Road, to make this donation," she said. "It is imperative for us that we work together with our contractors to build sustainable, resilient communities and not merely bricks and mortar. We hope this donation will truly make a difference to the families of St Athan.”

For more detail on the charity email StAthan@Saintly.com