Swansea Building Society donates £10K to Go Underhill development

Swansea Building Society has donated £10,000 to Mumbles Community Association’s Go Underhill development – a major plan to transform Underhill Park with up-to-date facilities fit for the 21st Century.

The building society, with branch offices in Swansea, Mumbles, Carmarthen and Cowbridge, has made the donation to help Mumbles Community Association (MCA) with its plan to redevelop the facilities in Underhill Park to protect and enhance the asset for the local community and visitors to the area.

The Go Underhill development is a multi-phase plan to redevelop and refurbish the much-loved green space in Mumbles. The park is regularly used by around 17,000 local residents, as well as visitors to the area, with more than 50 grass-roots sports teams regularly utilising the site for training and matches.

The park is currently home to several sports clubs, including Mumbles Rangers Football Club and Mumbles Rugby Club, and the site is also used by Swansea Cricket Club.

Registered charity Mumbles Community Association has plans to redevelop the site across several phases, with the £2 million phase-one having commenced at the start of 2022. This initial phase will include refurbishment of the pavilion with new public toilets, new changing facilities for sports teams, new facilities for the disabled, and a new community hub and café.

The £10,000 donated by Swansea Building Society will help the project to fund the completion of an additional two changing rooms, which had been omitted from the original contract let at the start of the year due to cost increases.

Once the first stage of the development is completed, MCA will take on management of the park and the new facilities under a 125-year lease and will work with existing and potential users to create more opportunities for the community. MCA is currently working to secure the funding needed to build a new all-weather pitch at the site, further expanding sports and recreational use at the park.

It is hoped that later phases will see the development of even more community facilities. These plans are dependent on future funding but are set to include a multi-purpose community hall with function room and performance area, a bar and catering facilities, a state-of-the-art gym, a new multi-use informal play area, improved car parking and access, and a spectator stand for the all-weather pitch.

Alun Williams, Chief Executive of Swansea Building Society, said:

“We’re delighted to be able to make this donation of £10,000 to the Go Underhill project. The plans Mumbles Community Association has for the park are ambitious, but much needed, and will ensure that the site can be utilised to its full potential for generations to come.

“Sites like Underhill Park are vital for the health and wellbeing of the local community and make a huge difference to the experience of those visiting the area. They also provide important opportunities for people of all ages to take part in outdoor activities close to their homes. Swansea Building Society has a branch in Mumbles, just down the road from the park, and we are very much looking forward to seeing how the project develops, across its phases, over the coming months and years.”

Simon Tse, Chair of Mumbles Community Association, said:

“We’d like to say a big thank you to Swansea Building Society for this fantastic donation to Go Underhill, which will make a real difference to what we are able to deliver.

“Underhill Park is an important and valued resource for local people and the funding from the Society will help us ensure that the new facilities are in place to enable more people to enjoy this fantastic asset.”