Bags of Love supports around 100 households with a monthly food shop, which has sadly become so necessary in these challenging times. The project started with our wonderful volunteer Lynn during the pandemic, who had heard that a number of families on furlough had been struggling to make ends meet. What started as around 20 Bags of Love a month, has now grown to over 100, which is around 80 families and 20 elderly, isolated or other people in need. With a small army of volunteers, and the incredible generosity of our local community and indeed those further afield, we hope to continue our mission as long as it’s needed. Diolch.
Do you, or does someone you know need to access support from Bags of Love? Email Lynn on lynnjones21@hotmail.com confidentially. We never turn anyone away, and will do whatever we can to support you.
We’re so pleased to present this year’s Christmas Campaign, “The Giving Tree”. The Giving Tree is an opportunity for the over 200 children supported through Bags of Love to receive a special gift, and bring a little extra Christmas Magic to our families. Gift tags on the Bags of Love Christmas Tree in the St. David’s Christmas Tree Festival feature a QR code, which you can scan to find a specially curated wish list of gifts for the Bags of Love children. Whether you’re buying one or many, we are so grateful for your support. The Tree will be on display from Sunday 30th November in St. Mary’s Conwy during the Advent Carols Service at 3pm, then every day from Wednesday 3rd December in the St. David’s Hospice Christmas Tree Festival between 11.30am and 3.30pm. Remember to select the allocated address for delivery, which delivers directly to our HQ in Conwy. The Bags of Love team will wrap and deliver the presents with an extra special Christmas Food Hamper on 15th December. Ready to buy now? Click here to go straight to the Wish List and make your purchase now!
Following the successful renovation of Neuadd Ni Bags of Love is now operating from the rear room in the hall, which acts as a multi-purpose space for hire as well as to house the Bags of Love food stores. The newly updated kitchen has been fantastic – and now with the updated equipment and cooking space, we can offer a new Heat and Eat warm space service, which will run every other week from 4th November 2025 until March, 4-7pm. This will fit in with the St. John’s Heat and Eat next door, which will run on Wednesdays on the alternate weeks.
If you’d like to come along to our next Heat and Eat (dates below), please email Dave at heatandeatconwy@hotmail.com to confirm you’d like a hot meal – booking essential so we can plan for catering!
Collection points in Conwy Culture Centre and the Spar (Conwy), as well as all our churches, mean anyone can donate dried foods at a convenient time for them. However, we do also rely heavily on financial donations from our generous supporters. Every penny we raise from donations goes to filling our Bags of Love with food and other essential items for the people we help, and will now support the community with a warm space and hot meal over the winter months.
At special times of year, we try to include extra treats, or more specialist items. Generous public donations meant Easter Eggs were able to be included at Easter time this year, and we have at times been able to help some families with school uniform needs.
The renovation of Neuadd Ni was completed in February, and we were able to move in shortly after. The updated facilities mean we can reach even more people, and can run our long awaited Heat and Eat warm space – and possibly a special lunch club too! The renovation was generously funded by the UK government through the UKSPF Levelling Up Fund, and once completed, it will be an amazing hub for the Conwy community, as well as a home for Bags of Love.
If you would like to help …
There are collecting boxes in all our churches and Conwy library. In-date and non-perishable staples please! Cereal, pasta, rice, jarred sauces, tinned meats and vegetables, tea and coffee, sugar- the list goes on. Whatever you can leave at one of our donation boxes will support a family in need.
- You may also consider making a one-off or regular financial donation to this work. Please reference any online payments as ‘Bags of Love’. Diolch.
- We are always looking for volunteers to join our team to shop and deliver our bags of love, and once we’re in our new home in Neuadd Ni, we’ll be looking for volunteers to support a Heat and Eat programme in the winter months too. Could you give a little time each month to support families and vulnerable older people in the community? We’d love to hear from you! Simply contact us by e-mailing here.
Thank you, Ysgol Llangelynnin, for helping us pack!
Funding: we are delighted to acknowledge and thank the many public and corporate organisations that so generously support us, including the following:
- The National Lottery Community Fund, who last year provided a £10,000 grant to help our families.
- BOCS Self Storage of Colwyn Bay have been our faithful supporters since the inception of Bagiau Cariad, not only with frequent generous donations but also with helpful commercial advice. Find out more by contacting 01492 544244 or visit there website here.
- Local business networking organisation Cymdeithas Gwledd has also been very generous since the early days, not least by organising a recent charity dinner, which raised over £5,000 for the project.
- Other generous local organisations include Cartefi Conwy, Conwy Comrades Club, Conwy Town Council, Evenrock Ltd, and Ysgol Llangelynnin.
- Several supermarkets, wholesalers and shops have kindly donated both food and financial support, including Asda (through the green token scheme), Edwards of Conwy, Harlech Foods, Spar (Blakemore Foundation), and Tesco (including a Community Grant via Groundwork). These links have increased our partnership with businesses and increased visibility in our community, as well as helping us to sustain this vital work.
- Bags of Love acknowledges the support of the government’s UKSPF Levelling Up Fund, which has funded the Neuadd Ni Hall for All renovation project. The renovation project in turn will provide a permanent home for Bags of Love. Find out more about the Neuadd Ni renovation and funders statement here.
Many thanks to all!
Hear ‘Bags of Love’ Co-ordinator Lynn Jones, talk about the project here (recorded in 2021):
caruconwy.com 