Welsh apple juice funding international aid

Abby Neve

A Welsh farm is sending accessibility equipment around the world in part funded by the juice from local apple trees.

Clynfyw CIC Care Farm, which has 250 apple trees, has been juicing and selling the fruit locally.

The money made from the juice is then used to send shipping containers with donated refurbished wheelchairs and mobility aids to South Africa, Kenya, Greece, Ukraine, Calais, Syria and London. More locally, they have supported groups in Swansea and Pembrokeshire.

Jim Bowen, Clynfyw’s manager, said:

“We work hard to work with reputable local organisations in each country. There is more transparency this way and the money goes much further.

“In Kenya we work with Love your Neighbour, in South Africa it is with Container Ministry,
and we are working with Warehouses to Warzones to get aid into Ukraine.

“Our current container is due to head to the middle east with The Free Shop Lebanon who do amazing work there. Collaboration has always been our goal, and it seems to be working.’

In South Africa, the recipients are mostly AIDS orphans, while in Ukraine and Syria they are people whose homes and lives have been impacted by war.

The project has been running for over a decade, and included planting 93 apple trees in 2014 to commemorate the number of people from Manordeifi who served in the First World War.

Growing demand

Their apple juice was so popular they have had to enlist two other groups to meet the growing need. The farm has supported both Ty Afal near Boncath and Blaenhalen near Drefach Velindre to start their own juicing schemes. Jim said:

‘The juicing scheme has been a great success, so much so that we can no longer keep up with the demand.

“We still plan to sell juice from our own apples, and we are working with two new local groups, supporting them to set up their own juicing schemes.

“It is such a relief they are starting up. We juiced for over 200 families last year and really didn’t want to let them down.”

Holly Bull from Blaenhalen said:

“We are so excited to be setting up community apple pressing and none of it would have been possible without Clynfyw’s support,” said Holly Bull from Blaenhalen. “We wholeheartedly agree with the idea of collaboration and making a stronger and more sustainable local food network.”

Gwil Davies, from Ty Afal said:

“We helped as part of the juicing team at Clynfyw last year, so we know what we are getting into. The extreme lack of rain this summer means apples are smaller than usual, but in terms of numbers, it looks like we are going to be busy. This is going to be an exciting project.”

Clynfyw Care Farm provides a home and day service to adults with learning disabilities. They won a Green Tourism Gold Award in 2017 and have written books about ‘care farming’

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