Volunteers are the lifeblood of Plant Dewi. To express our heartfelt gratitude for their dedication and hard work, all volunteers were invited to a social gathering at Llanddarog Village Hall on 8 March 2012.
This highly enjoyable afternoon was in three parts.  Firstly, a delicious serving of Cawl – courtesy of Marian Daniels which attracted considerable praise and many requests for the recipe: our grateful thanks to Marian for her culinary expertise.  An essential accompaniment to good food is good conversation and the buzz around the tables indicated that these two elements were indeed in harmony.
Secondly, a presentation on the work of Plant Dewi by Sue Fletcher, Project Manager provided us all with a real insight into the contribution made by Plant Dewi projects to communities in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.  If we were at all uncertain about the value of the work performed by the staff in the various projects, Sue gave a clear account of the service users’ perspective, illustrated by photographs of the work of the projects. No-one was left in any doubt about the importance of the effective and innovative work carried out by Plant Dewi and the vital role played by volunteers in enabling this to happen. There was an opportunity for questions and answers which was very informative.  Archdeacon Alun spoke also of the work of Plant Dewi and again expressed his personal thanks to those who had contributed to both the day and the wider organisation.
The afternoon was rounded off by a game of Bingo.  The prizes, contributed by Eiryth Thomas and Stella Hughes, had attracted more than a few glances from the more avaricious attendees but a very professionally conducted bingo session prevented more than minimal mayhem. There were some mutterings that a certain table had gained a disproportionate number of prizes but further investigation unearthed no evidence of “fixing”.
This event was an excellent opportunity for everyone to get together and for the volunteers to meet the various permanent staff of Plant Dewi, including: Sue Fletcher, Project Manager, Heather, Finance Manager, the project workers, Daniel Withey, Shop Manager and Archdeacon Alun. The aim was to help our volunteers to understand Plant Dewi as an organisation and its function in the wider community. The feedback received after the event certainly indicated that this had been achieved.