ELITE and Bridgend Ravens announce charity partnership

ELITE Supported Employment are immensely proud to announce our latest charity partnership with Bridgend Ravens rugby. The Indigo Premiership club based at the Morganstone Brewery Field have long been supporters of ELITE’s message of enabling equality in employment and have kindly offered ELITE a partnership for the 2019/20 season. With the new season fast approaching, the Ravens invited ELITE staff members to the Morganstone Brewery Field for a tour of the facilities alongside the chance to meet some of the members of the Ravens squad and personnel.

The main purpose of the partnership is to spread awareness of ELITE’s employment projects, aiming to assist those with disabilities and/or disadvantages into work. With many of these projects available within the Bridgend county, Bridgend Ravens were generous enough to promote and publicise ELITE’s cause through their extensive networks and platforms in the local area. Alongside promotion, Bridgend have opened up all their match-day volunteering openings to ELITE jobseekers and their Employment Advisors. With Bridgend undertaking our Disability Awareness Training modules, the team at the Morganstone Brewery Field can help integrate more people with disabilities into stewarding and ticket purchasing roles.

ELITE were recently invited to the Morganstone Brewery Field in Bridgend

ELITE’s Communications Officer, and life-long Bridgend fan, Benny Griffiths had this to say on the partnership:

“We are absolutely thrilled to announce this exciting partnership between ELITE and Bridgend Ravens. The club have always shown an interest in ELITE’s methods of supported employment and have previously offered some volunteering opportunities for our clients with disabilities. Having been a regular club member for many years, I know that Bridgend is a club that is open to all and are actively making efforts to improve the lives of its supporters and the local community. By spreading awareness of the multiple methods of support we offer to those in Bridgend – ELITE can contribute to increasing recruitment rates for disabled jobseekers in the region. Alongside a handful of Ravens fans, our office is full of club rugby supporters following the likes of Pontypridd, Merthyr and Cardiff but all of them have a soft spot for Bridgend following this generous announcement!”

ELITE Team Leader Sara pictured with Bridgend Head Coach Steve ‘Jabba’ Jones

With Bridgend Ravens backing ELITE through digital and print promotion, the club continues its preparations for the opening game of the season – a home fixture against Aberavon Wizards on Saturday 7th September 2019. With a new 12 team league structure and new exciting Welsh-Scottish tournament available to the top 6 finishers, Bridgend will be looking to start off the Indigo Premiership campaign with a win over their closest league rivals. We are sure that ELITE staff members will be in attendance #backingbridgend that day!

A reminder that ELITE Supported Employment offers assistance in the Bridgend region through the following projects:

  • Engage to Change – assisting 16-25 year olds with learning disabilities and/or Autism
  • Project SEARCH – a year long internship programme assisting 16-25 year olds with learning disabilities and/or Autism. In partnership with Bridgend College and the Princess of Wales Hospital (NHS)
  • SES – a nation-wide support and training programme through Job Centre Plus (JCP)
  • SEP and Awen Cultural Trust – assisting those 18 years old and over with learning disabilities and difficulties through the Awen Cultural Trust
  • New Opportunities – a volunteer and training-based programme available to those over 25 years old with work-limiting health conditions

For further details on how ELITE offer support in the Bridgend region or any other Welsh county then feel free to visit our locations page below. The interact map shows what projects are available in all the Welsh regions we operate in: https://elitesea.co.uk/about-us/locations/

ELITE Supported Employment would like to take this opportunity to thank Bridgend club members Hopkin Joseph, Aled Thomas and Rhyd Cole for all their efforts in making this charity partnership possible http://bridgendravens.co.uk