A campaigning Llanelli Labour councillor has teamed up with town charities to distribute thousands of free essential items in an anti-poverty drive he describes as delivering “hugs, not handouts.”
Town councillor Shaun Greaney, who first proposed expanding the highly successful Cwtch Mawr Multibank initiative to Llanelli and the wider Carmarthenshire area roughly 16 months ago, confirmed that nearly 7,000 clothing and household items have now been issued to residents in need.
Working in partnership with a network of local organisations, including Ty Gwyn Church, Tyisha Foodbank, Myrtle House Foodbank, Llanelli LLAMAS (Llanelli Autistic Mothers Association), Llanelli Women’s Refuge, Links mental health charity, and the Morfa Family Centre, Councillor Greaney said the initiative has brought vital support and smiles to many facing difficult circumstances.
“It has been wonderful to spearhead a project that could one day make a huge difference to the wellbeing and lives of thousands of Llanelli and Carmarthenshire residents,” he said.
“As a councillor representing the Lliedi ward and as a resident of Llanelli, I have seen poverty at close quarters. It is a scourge on our society. It leads to premature deaths and blights the lives of too many families. I am determined to do everything I can to tackle this through direct action and hard work.”
Cutting Through Red Tape
Councillor Greaney warned that local poverty is a massive, shifting problem that rarely gets the attention it deserves.
“It rarely makes headlines and it doesn’t feature strongly enough in local political discourse, in my opinion,” he said. “Fourteen years of Tory austerity has hollowed out public services, despite all the efforts of my hardworking council colleagues.”
He added that political differences, red tape, and the sheer volume of pressure on public services too often slow down direct, meaningful action for people in horrendous situations.
The councillor spoke out after taking delivery of a fresh batch of free infant baby milk (for ages 0–12 months) from the Cwtch Mawr Multibank. The supplies have already been distributed to the Llanelli Foodbank at Myrtle House, Tyisha Foodbank, and Llanelli LLAMAS.
“I have been proud to do my bit to get help to those who need it most,” Councillor Greaney said. “Cwtch Mawr Multibank in Swansea has been extremely generous and helpful with those aims in mind.”
“I heard of a nine-year-old girl who received a pair of new shoes as a result of the Multibank’s work, she was thrilled and had tears in her eyes. Why? Because she had never had anything new in her life. It’s heartbreaking to hear tales like that, or that children are sometimes taken into care with their belongings packed into black refuse bags.”
He urged councils and politicians of all political stripes to put poverty at the absolute top of their agendas. “If we don’t, we will be condemning another generation,” he warned.
What is a Multibank?
The Multibank concept was originally the brainchild of former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The initiative partners with major corporations, including Amazon, to surplus and redistribute pristine, unsold items directly to struggling communities. Historically, these end-of-line stocks and unsold items were controversially sent straight to landfill.
Since the Swansea-based Cwtch Mawr Multibank was established in conjunction with the charity Faith in Families, it has distributed almost 1.5 million items across the Swansea Bay area, backed by support from both the Welsh Government and Swansea Council.
The initiative’s reach continues to grow, recently expanding into Bridgend. While Carmarthenshire County Council previously agreed to establish a similar local framework, a dedicated site has not yet been set up in the county.
“I’ve seen for myself the difference that ‘hugs not handouts’ can make,” Greaney noted. “It delivers dignity. It allows families to function. It helps keep the wolf from the door.”
“I want to pay a massive tribute to the charities and organisations that have taken this project on. It’s extra work for the volunteers, but with their willing assistance, we have cut through obstacles to reach the people who need it. Let’s stop demonising and judging people because of their financial circumstances.”
The £20m ‘Pride in Place’ Vision
Looking toward the town’s long-term future, Councillor Greaney also welcomed the recent £20 million Pride in Place funding secured for Llanelli by local MP Dame Nia Griffith.
The 10-year project is designed to transform economic and community prospects, allowing local people to decide exactly how the national government funding is utilized.
“I very much welcome the appointment of Steve Donoghue as the independent chairman,” Greaney said, noting that work to form the oversight board is still underway. “I hope the board will feature top-calibre people with a proven track record of making a difference. I understand the project may also be able to leverage additional funds from different sources, increasing the ‘bang for the buck’.”
He believes that if the funding is used wisely alongside Carmarthenshire County Council’s multi-million-pound town centre regeneration schemes, it could inject hope, create jobs, and spark a revival for a town “too long forgotten by central government.”
However, he stressed that regenerating the town centre must go hand-in-hand with protecting Llanelli’s core industrial and cultural heritage.
“We must work to ensure the profitable Trostre tinplate works, which employs nearly 600 people, remains in Llanelli, and also ensure the Welsh Rugby Union do not axe our wonderful Scarlets,” Greaney concluded. “These two brands are synonymous with Llanelli; they are part of its fabric, its heart and soul. If they disappear, it would put Pride in Place in the shade.”
