About Us

Origin and development

Originating in 1969, Friends of the Young Disabled (FOYD) was established by Gordon Moore, a founding Trustee and its inaugural Chairman. Initially gathering at St. Joseph’s Church Hall in Waun Wen, the group provided support and expertise to the Muscular Dystrophy Society during foreign holidays, a service later extended to other requesting groups.

In September 1985, FOYD acquired the old Cwmfelyn works office and laboratory building, slated for demolition, leveraging an Urban Aid Grant of £168,000.00 and community support to transform it into the current Centre. Secured on a 99-year lease from the City and County of Swansea, the Centre stands as a testament to decades of dedication and collaboration.

Present day

We proudly host a dedicated center equipped with diverse facilities catering to both the disabled and able-bodied individuals. These subsidized amenities are available to numerous local and national charities, as well as individuals, welcoming new users from all backgrounds. Additionally, we extend our services to organizations contributing essential income streams vital for the center's operation.

Some of our users have included – Dyversity, Tuesday Group, Wednesday Group, Rising Stars Theatre Group,  Cymuned, The Eli Project, The Enabled Project, Time2meet, Fuseon Fitness, Mencap, NHS Music Therapy, Ostreme Disability Group, Slimming World, Swansea Railway Modellers Group, Swansea Carers, Swansea Home Educators, Swansea Sings, Polestone, Swansea Counselling and Wellbeing Service, U3A, Wallsingham Support, Western Bay Adoption, West Cross Day Centre.

PATRONS

Some of our most famous past Patrons include -

Lord Kinnock (Former MP and Vice-President of the European Commission),

Lord Hooson QC MBE, Lord Parry MP, Sir Harry Secombe CBE, Max Boyce MBE, Prof L. Maunder OBE,  Wyn Calvin MBE plus many MPs , Councillors and local dignitaries.

Our Latest Patron:-  

We are honoured to have one of Swansea’s foremost musicians, Terry Williams, as our Patron.  Terry was born in Swansea and has chosen to retire here after a long and illustrious career.  He has been called ‘The world’s greatest drummer’ and has played with some of the most prestigious names in pop history including Cliff Richards, Dave Edmund, Dion, Dire Straits, Everly Brothers, Man, Mark Knopfler, Nick Lowe, Tina Turner, Tracey Ullman. (Courtesy Wikipedia) 

Chairman

Our current chairman is Councillor Chris Holley OBE who has been a member and trustee of FOYD for many years.