Charity to honour footballer in running for prize
AN AMMANFORD mental health charity, established in memory of a young man who took his own life, is appealing for votes in order to be crowned National Lottery Project of the Year.
The Jac Lewis Foundation was set up in memory of a young footballer and popular member of the Ammanford community who tragically took his own life at the age of 27 in 2019.
The charity set up in his honour aims to help people obtain quick access to mental health support, as well as providing counselling for families bereaved by suicide.
Following Jac’s death, his father Jesse and team mates from Ammanford AFC, decided to take action and they set up the Jac Lewis Foundation later that year.
The charity aims to ensure everyone in their community, no matter their age, can access rapid support for any mental health issues.
The charity also has a Wales-wide bereavement by suicide support service, which has received two grants totalling £19,240 from the National Lottery Community Fund over the last two years.
The charity operates out of a wellbeing centre in Ammanford AFC’S ground, which was built with builders and businesses providing skills and materials for free. It opened in December 2020 with only one counsellor, but the team has grown significantly and supported over 1,600 adults and children with its free of charge services including telephone support, oneto-one counselling, wellbeing workshops, and a mental health one stop hub that offers immediate support.
The foundation beat stiff competition from more than 1,300 organisations to reach the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards, which celebrate the inspirational people and projects which do extraordinary things with the help of lottery funding.
There are 17 shortlisted finalists from across the UK, all of which will compete in a four-week public vote from September 7 to October 7, to be named the National Lottery Project of the Year.
Winners will receive a £5,000 cash prize for their project and a National Lottery Awards trophy.
Delighted to be nominated as finalists for their work, Anthony Rees, chair of trustees at the Jac Lewis Foundation, said: “Jac’s tragic death affected so many people, and we’re determined to ensure that noone else in our community feels like life is not worth living. It’s amazing to see people recognising the importance of this message by nominating the Jac Lewis Foundation and selecting us as a finalist.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we’ve been able to provide rapid mental health support to anyone who needs it, which we know has made an incredible difference.
“We’re blown away to have reached the finals of the Project of the Year category in the National Lottery Awards 2022,” he added. “We would urge the public to get behind us and vote to help us become 2022’s Project of the Year.”
Jonathan Tuchner, from the National Lottery, added: “The Jac Lewis Foundation is doing some incredible work in the community and thoroughly deserve to be in the finals of the National Lottery Awards Project of the Year 2022.
“With your support, they could be a winner.”
To vote for The Jac Lewis Foundation visit lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/ awards or simply use the Twitter hashtag #Nlajaclewis.
Voting runs until 5pm on October 7.