** Our picture shows Angela Miles, who presented the trophy on behalf of Sport Pembrokeshire, Nigel Davies (senior) and Owen Duggan (back row), plus Nigel Davies (junior) and Matthew Griffiths (front row).


Fishguard Sports AFC were delighted to scoop the ‘Club of the Year’ trophy at the Sport Pembrokeshire Awards and their success wasn’t achieved because of their on-field performances but for the magnificent work they undertook to help their wider community during the awful coronavirus disease that rocked us all.

The Sports certainly rose to the challenge of helping the town’s folk in need of support during the lockdown as they raised funds to help organise a range of much-needed projects through their ‘Keepie-Uppie’ ball challenge.

Their members were fully involved and the club fully acknowledged the part played by Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council and Fishguard & District Round Table, who helped with one of a week’s fruit and vegetable deliveries to those who needed them and found people were often in tears when they knocked the doors!

Amazing range of help given by the club  . . .

In the final analysis The Sports delivered 250 fruit and veg hampers to people in and around Fishguard, Goodwick, Dinas, Scleddau, Letterston and Trecwn. Recipients were elderly, isolated, ill, good neighbours and ex-players and their families.

They provided lunch to 90 frontline staff at Fishguard Health Centre, Hillside Home, St Teresa’s Rest Home, Lloyds Pharmacy, Boots The Chemist, Myrtle Pharmacy Goodwick, Fishguard ambulance station and the Fishguard ‘Hub’ School at Ysgol Glannau Gwaun.

Not content with that little lot they also provided 400 cupcakes to forgotten front-line staff at Withybush Hospital, Pembrokeshire County Council Community Hub & Incident Management Centre, ‘Playdays Childcare’, Cymer Ofal Care Agency, the posties at Fishguard Sorting Office, Co-op Fishguard, CK’s Fishguard, Tesco Express Goodwick & Total Produce Goodwick.

Then they delivered fish & chip suppers to 40 individuals/families in the area and provided takeaway pizzas to the lads at Fishguard Fire Station, alongside Sunday lunches to 30 residents at Llain Las Sheltered Housing complex.

Wonderfully, they also used funds as they worked with ‘Get The Boys A Lift’ in Haverfordwest to purchase 200 coffees for the boys to distribute as they saw fit, and funded two courses of counselling for the DPJ Foundation, a local mental health charity for the  agriculture sector in Pembrokeshire.

. . . And received from local businesses!

 
They also tried to involve local businesses by giving them some custom for the food they needed during the tough times, and in return were given greatly reduced prices by the likes of ‘Total Produce’ for the amazing fruit and veg hampers, Allan and Judith Cresswell of ‘Cresswell’s Café’ for the lunches provided to key workers, Gethin and Charlotte Rands of ‘Hooked @ 31’ for the fish & chips, Wendy Price of ‘Cupcake Kitchen’ for the fantastic cakes, Denise and Mark at ‘The Coach House’ for the Sunday lunches, plus Nigel Davies of ‘Small Moves Fishguard’ for transporting things.
 
Perhaps what was best was the fact that Fishguard Sports, with Owen Duggan, Matthew Griffiths and Nigel Davies leading the way, was able to raise funds through the whole range of members from players and officials. Members of the disability team, ladies, juniors and families.
 
“It really was a team effort,” said Owen Duggan, “and our award, which we regard as very special and belongs to the huge number of people who gave so much in helping our community have a little brightness at this terrible time”