Meet the young Hawarden woman taking the lead in shaping National Lottery funding in Wales

A young Hawarden resident is taking the lead with shaping National Lottery funding in Wales.

Today (August 12^th), for International Youth Day, The National Lottery Community Fund announced that it is partnering with young people from across Wales to help inform how its funding is used in the future.

Serena Etchells, based in Flintshire, has been selected as one of 10 young people from across Wales to shape how money raised by National Lottery players will be used in Wales in the future.

Serena is 22 years old and lives in Hawarden. She works as a Creative Engagement Assistant at Theatr Clwyd working with community groups to use the arts to improve health, wellbeing and accessibility, and wants to support young LGBT+ people in Wales.

“The National Lottery Money is incredibly important because it will allow us to create the spaces needed to facilitate our youth resilience project. The rise of loneliness and mental health issues among young people, especially during the pandemic, have made it more important than ever for us to create an outlet for connection.”

The 10 young people will be leading on peer-led research with young people across Wales to engage with, and find out the issues that matter most to young people.

John Rose, Wales Director at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Partnering with young people from across Wales reflects our commitment to listen to what people and communities have to say about the issues that matter most to them.

“As the largest funder of community activity in the UK we know that the best people to understand the key issues that matter most to young people are young people themselves. That’s why it’s fantastic to see them take the lead on how National Lottery funding will be used.”