13/01/2026
2025 ROUND UP!!
What a year!
We had some high hopes for this year and it’s safe to say that we are all absolutely thrilled with everything we’ve accomplished.
Throughout 2025 we saw an amazing 314 individual members at the Tanyard. Of these members, 184 were newcomers and have been welcomed into the Tanyard family with open arms. We have met and got to know over half of the 10-15 year olds in Pembroke during the last year!
Youth projects like ours provide a place for young people to interact with caring adults outside of the home or school which, because of the voluntary relationship between youth workers and young people, is different from a teacher or parent relationship and can allow young people the ability to express their fears, worries and successes in a different way.
Young people also have a direct say in how the project is run, gaining experience in working together towards joint aims and learning to make demands and see them being met. Learning to get along in a big shared space with many others of different backgrounds is also a vital part of feeling like you have a place in the world.
Young people feel overlooked, ignored and alienated. Recent attitudes towards the presence of young people in their hometown have only served to confirm and entrench these feelings. In the Tanyard they are not overlooked, ignored, nor alienated. A youth project should represent their young people because ultimately it is theirs.
Food
We have worked hard to continue our food provision this year. Providing hot meals during sessions is something that all staff believe is super important and we will continue to do this as long as we are able. We have provided a total of 1874 free hot meals to 209 different young people this year. On top of this, we have provided an uncountable amount of free fruit throughout drop ins.
As our young people live in an area of deprivation, experiencing deprivation at a rate much higher than the national average, projects that provide these fundamental services are vital and will no doubt become more so as the living conditions for many fall in the Pembroke area.
Informal education
The Tanyard has also given free film, photography and music tuition to 56 young people this year. They have had the opportunity to learn new instruments including guitar, drums, keyboard and bass; practice their singing skills and gain confidence performing; and gain confidence in front of and behind the camera with some amazing wildlife, long exposure and UV photography sessions!
As home schooling is on the rise, we have been approached by many young people (and parents) who aren’t able to integrate with school or are in school but need a bit of a boost in certain subjects. The high price of extra tuition combined with the many families in Pembroke facing poverty means that while tuition is required, it simply cannot be accessed. As we are led by the needs of our young people and investigation of naterial we have started offering tuition in key skills on an informal basis to better make sure that young people aren’t being left behind because they aren’t wealthy enough.
Working together
Alongside our standard provision this year, the Tanyard has had the opportunity to work with and host a number of local businesses, charities and CIC’s. Notably this year we have met:
-Dave from Patch Charity who ran a workshop on the work PATCH does in the community and visited on multiple occasions to deliver us some food donations of our own! These donations led to months of pizza making classes which went down a treat and we are super grateful!
-Ayman and Futoun who run Syrian Cuisine came into the Tanyard to cook a range of Syrian food for our members. Members were spoiled for choice and enjoyed all the dishes! In addition to this, Ayman and Futoun have dropped by on multiple occasions with trays of food for our members. This is always a nice surprise and is truly appreciated by everyone!
- Celtic Deep and Câr-Y-Môr with Pobl Tir Môr, visited the Tanyard and ran a number of ‘Sea Changers’ workshops for local secondary schools. The workshops were a great success and we are hoping to work together again in the future!
We have also been working with SPF Sustainable Communities to grow and improve our provision. With their support we have been able to make valuable improvements to the building, stock up on supplies and resources for drop-ins and take members on trips throughout the summer.
-We have decked our part of the courtyard so it is now a usable space and built a new cupboard under the stairs for extra storage amongst other things. Most importantly, though, with the help of our young volunteers we have renovated a previously unused room into a functioning classroom, meeting and work space. Our 3 volunteers helped with everything from painting to laying carpet, putting furniture together and ordering resources. This space is already invaluable to us and we are looking forward to making full use of it in 2026.
-We have been able to stock up our resources for drop-ins and workshops. We have plenty of crafting supplies like clay, tie dying, wood burning, soap making and sushi making, as well as plenty of sports equipment like badminton racquets, balls, spare pool cues, sports nets and more!
-We were able to arrange trips every week over the summer holidays, including Pembroke Castle, Heatherton World of Activities, Heatherton Tree Tops, Tenby's Great Escape and Wild Lakes. All trips were a great success and we are aiming to do this all over again next year!
Thank you
We want to take this opportunity to thank our members for their support and engagement over the last year. Not only have we signed up three young volunteers who have helped us tremendously, but all members have been getting stuck in and helping out where they can. We have a good amount of kitchen helpers, activity planners and even a mini social media team with their own member-led TikTok account!
The Tanyard is first and foremost a place that young people can make their own, feel safe in and be themselves so we are so pleased to see this happening!
The Tanyard has also given free film, photography and music tuition to 56 young people this year. They have had the opportunity to learn new instruments including guitar, drums, keyboard and bass; practice their singing skills and gain confidence performing; and gain confidence in front of and behind the camera with some amazing wildlife, long exposure and UV photography sessions!
We are so excited to start 2026 and see where we can take the Tanyard next! We look forward to seeing you all soon!
