The Royal Mint has kicked off its Charity of the Year partnership with Mind, with its biggest and best football festival to date, attracting 80 community football clubs from across South Wales. 

More than 650 young footballers, aged under 7s to under 11s, attended the football extravaganza hosted by the original maker of UK coins to raise money for the mental health charity.

From Newport Corinthians to Abercwmboi, the boys and girls from clubs across South Wales gathered at Y Pant Comprehensive in Pontyclun for an action-packed day out of football and family fun.

In a special celebration of Wales’ qualification for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, The Royal Mint covered the entry fees for all children, supporting grassroots footballing talent and raising more than £5,000 for Mind. 

The 2022 Football Festival is the first of a series of community fundraising events planned at The Royal Mint in support of the fight against metal health problems. The Charity of the Year programme also aims to encourage positive experiences among its employees and enhance links with the local community, where most of 1,000-strong workforce are based. The partnership is part of an overarching Diversity and Inclusion strategy which includes Mental Health First Aid Training and activities such as yoga and meditation classes for employees at the Llantrisant site.

Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint, Rebecca Morgan, took on the organisation of the event run by Royal Mint volunteers. She said: “The 2022 Royal Mint Football Festival was a superb showcase of grassroots footballing talent in South Wales and our best yet, bringing together more than 650 children and raising £5,000 for our Charity of the Year, Mind. 

“With the news of Wales getting to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, The Royal Mint covered the cost of entry for all the aspiring footballers in celebration of the grassroots communities who show up for training week in, week out. We were blown away by the participation and hope this momentum means the event gets bigger and better each year – strengthening our links with the local community and encouraging staff and their families to have fun and get active and raising money for an incredibly worthy cause.”    

“I want to thank our fantastic partners and suppliers who supported us on the day, including Celtic Drinks, Brammer, Zenith Print and Sovereign Rarities. I especially want to say a huge thank you to the hundreds of young boys and girls who took part and gave it their all. Their energy is a shining example of how much fun you can have while keeping fit and connecting with others, which is so important for our positive mental health too.”

AFC Porth BGC U9s Coach Andrew Davies said: “It was a brilliant, well-run day for the kids. Plenty of fun and football, all for a good cause. Well done The Royal Mint.”

Carson-Joe Davies, AFC Porth BGC U9s player, added: “I loved that there were so many games, many versus teams we've not played before. The bouncy castle hall was great fun too.”

Ian O’Reilly, Head of Community & Events Fundraising at Mind, said: “We are really grateful to the Royal Mint for choosing to support Mind through their Charity of the Year, and we wish them well. It continues to be a challenging time and many of us will be feeling the impact of the pandemic on our mental health and wellbeing, especially for those of us with existing mental health problems. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year, and it’s so important that no one has to face this alone.

“Every donation that Mind receives allows us to campaign to improve services and provide information and support. This includes through services such as Mind Infoline, legal line and our online peer support community for adults, Side by Side, so we can be there for as many people who need us as possible.”

For information about next year’s event, register your interest via email to: footballfestival@royalmint.com

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About Mind:

• Mind is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. They provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They won't give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect. mind.org.uk
• Please note that Mind is not an acronym and should be set in title case.
• Mind has a confidential information and support line, Mind Infoline, available on 0300 123 3393 (lines open 9am - 6pm, Monday – Friday)
• Mind’s online mental health community Side by Side is a safe space where anyone aged 18 and over with experience of a mental health problem can share their story, connect with others, access Mind’s wider information and resources, and give support in return. Find out more at www.sidebyside.mind.org.uk
• Mind offers free resources for employers to help improve mental wellbeing. For more information, visit mind.org.uk/work

About The Royal Mint

With a history spanning more than 1,100 years, The Royal Mint is Britain’s oldest companies and the original maker of UK coins.  Today The Royal Mint is a premium British maker, providing carefully crafted coins and precious metal products for the UK and overseas.  Based in Llantrisant, South Wales it has three main focuses as a business: Currency, Consumer (collectable and rare, historic coins) and precious metals investment.

Collecting with The Royal Mint:

Every coin tells a story, from a rare gold Sovereign to a Peter Rabbit™ 50p coin. The Royal Mint aims to inspire collectors young and old, and nurture a love of collecting through unique designs and popular themes. As the maker of UK coinage, we have unparalleled knowledge about coins, from the historic coins of our past, through to the collectable commemorative coins of today.  Sourcing and authenticating pre decimal coins is a natural fit for The Royal Mint as we struck each one.

Investing with The Royal Mint:

As a world authority on precious metals, The Royal Mint has traded and made products in gold and silver for centuries. Since launching its designated precious metals investment arm six years ago, The Royal Mint has grown rapidly to become the home of gold in the UK – increasing its market share and becoming the largest producer of bullion coins in Britain. As well as offering physical precious metal investment options in the form of bars and coins, The Royal Mint also offers a range of digital investment options including DigiGold, Little Treasures, designed for children, and Gold for Pensions

Celebrating with The Royal Mint:

For over a thousand years The Royal Mint has marked the moments that changed the world on coins - from coronations to conflict, from commemorations to celebrations. The designs are captured on commemorative coins, minted in a range of metals.  Commemorative coins do not always enter circulation but give collectors the chance to purchase coins to keep and cherish.  Recent themes have included David Bowie, Winnie the Pooh, Decimalisation and Team GB. Each commemorative coin is carefully struck up to three times in order to create a superbly detailed finish, and ensuring each one meets the standards The Royal Mint is famous for. 

The Royal Mint Experience

The Royal Mint opened its popular visitor centre, The Royal Mint Experience, at its home in Llantrisant, South Wales in 2016. Since opening the award-winning attraction has welcomed around 400,000 visitors through its doors and is the place to explore the 1,100-year history of coins.

Images

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