£60,000 charitable boost to local projects

Ella Groves

A Welsh charity is celebrating a “landmark year of giving,” having donated over £60,000 to local projects and community initiatives.

The Bluestone Foundation, the charitable arm of Bluestone National Park Resort, run in partnership with the Pembrokeshire Association for Voluntary Services (PAVS) has continued to expand its work throughout 2025.

This year, the charity’s Community Fund delivered three rounds of grants supporting charities and communities across the county.

Over £30,000 was awarded this year to help community groups improve wellbeing, spark creativity, build inclusion, and protect the local environment.

The Foundations support has reached a range of projects, from environmental champions like BlueGreen Cymru, Greener Growth CIC, and Sea Trust Wales to inclusion initiatives such as ASD Family Help, Get the Boys a Lift, No Shame Foundation, and Silbers CIC.

Creative communities, youth groups, and heritage hubs, such as Little Grebe Creative CIC, Pater Hall Community Trust, and Urdd Gobaith Cymru have also benefited.

Alongside the grant programme, the Foundation ran numerous fundraising events at the Blue Lagoon Water Park raising more than £19,500 across 2025.

Under the Foundation’s model, 75% of these funds go directly to charities with the remaining 25% reinvested into a flexible fund that allows the charity to support community needs which fall outside of the Community Fund criteria.

In 2025, £4,500 of flexible funding supported projects across the region from Bloomfield Bus and Green Dragon Bus services to Narco’s Christmas appeal providing warm clothing, food, and essentials for those in crisis.

The Bluestone Foundation also donated a significant range of high-value prizes such as family passes to the Blue Lagoon Water Park, overnight spa breaks, and Bluestone breaks to fundraising events across the county.

Marten Lewis, Chair of the Bluestone Foundation, said: “This year’s achievements reflect the heart of who we are at Bluestone.

“The Bluestone Foundation exists to uplift the people and places that make Pembrokeshire such a special community.

“The impact of our partners, grant recipients, and fundraising efforts in 2025 demonstrates what is possible when we work together and we are proud to see its continued impact on the region.”

Looking ahead to 2026, the foundation already has several partnerships lined up including continued support for Sport Pembrokeshire’s Fit and Fed project.

More information about the work of the Bluestone Foundation can be found here.