St Teilo’s Parish Church

As vicar of St Teilo’s Church, Padraig Gallagher is well aware of the problems which beset the Swansea communities of Blaenymaes, Penplas, Portmead and Caereithin that he serves.

“For a lot of the families here unemployment has been part of their life for three generations now. The level of skills in the community is quite low because they’ve never had the opportunity to do skilled work.”

The collapse of the steel industry in the 1980s led to mass unemployment in Swansea from which many areas never fully recovered.

But Padraig believes his church has a vital role to play in restoring local pride in the community and giving people the tools to improve their prospects.

Many local people lack the necessary qualifications to go on to further education – so in 2011, the church ran a course with Swansea University giving seven local people the qualifications to go on and study a degree.

Together with local agencies, St Teilo’s has also supported several initiatives, including Groundforce – a scheme working with children to decorate neigbourhoods with memorial benches and flowers, and clear up any litter in the area.

One of Padraig’s most important moves was to replace an old vestry with a newly installed kitchen.

This enables the church to run monthly community lunches and host major events in the run up to Christmas, which are attended by around 100 people.

A local drop-in centre which offers fresh vegetables, second hand clothing and furniture at cheap prices has also been supported by the church over the past three years.

The church also provides a space for a mother and toddler group and Tai Chi classes run by volunteers.

Rev Gallagher sits on the board of several local charities. He is a big supporter of the local Action Resource Centre, as well as Faith in Families, who run three local family centres on behalf of the Swansea and Brecon Diocese.

Despite the problems they face, Padraig has been impressed by the spirit shown by the local people he works with.