Youngsters at a Denbighshire primary school are kitted out and geared up for action thanks to the good sports at Ifor Williams Trailers.
The family-run trailer company has provided sponsored sports shirts to Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy in Cynwyd as part of a close ongoing relationship with the school.
The firm has teamed up with the school on various occasions before as its Cynwyd factory is within short walking distance from the primary school.
Some of the firm’s workers attended the school, and many of the school’s pupils have relatives who work for the trailer giant, which also has sites in Corwen and Flintshire..
Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy headteacher Arwel Owen was delighted the close link between the 115-pupil school and the iconic company is continuing.
He said everyone at the school was grateful for the company’s backing.
Mr Owen, who has been headteacher at the school since January, said: “This sponsored kit came about because we have a fair few parents who work for Ifor Williams and we were looking to restock our kits for the sports events we take part in.
“I asked Ifor Williams if they would be interested in sponsorship and they kindly agreed.
“We take part in a lot of sports events throughout the year so we needed about 30 kits.
“They will be used for a variety of sports, we have got a mixed netball tournament coming up, and we have athletics and football events too.
“The shirts are in a range of ages so we have sizes down to years one and two, which is great.
“We are very fortunate to have a very supportive business like Ifor Williams Trailers on our doorstep.
“Lots of parents, uncles, aunties and grandparents work for the company, so there is a sense of partnership there and also a sense of aspiration and possibilities too in terms of future careers.
“We do a lot of work in the school about the children having a real goal in terms of a career in the future, so Ifor Williams gives us a platform for that.
“The children visit the factory too, and during those visits the company is fantastic with us, they provide lots of gifts and goodies.
“The children really get a lot from having a tour around the factory, and I know there are plenty of other schools in the area who have been there this year as well, and we are hoping to organise another visit soon.
“It is just great to have such a supportive company within the vicinity of the school.”
Richard Bull, Group Head of Manufacturing, said the company was thrilled to carry on the close relationship with the primary school.
He said: “We are pleased to be able to show our support for the local community.
“As a proudly Welsh home-grown company, supporting our communities is something that is important to us.
“We have a strong relationship with Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy and when they approached us about support for the kits we were happy to help.
“It is lovely to have our logo on the front of the school’s new kits because we do have such close links with them.”
Richard added: “We try to help the local community as much as we can, it is always important that we get involved in the communities we serve.
“There is a real local connection here, some of our staff came here as children, and we have people who work for Ifor Williams who have children in the school.
“When we have factory visits, we will try to get those staff involved in the visits so the children can see their parents, and they absolutely love it when they see their mum or dad at work.
“We just do whatever we can to support the community, whether that is through sponsorships or other schemes.
“For example, in Cynwyd specifically we have been involved in sponsoring the flowerpots which are put up in the village.”
The new kits were given a thumbs-up from youngsters at the school.
Osian Thomas, 10, said: “I think the new kit is great, I enjoy doing sport so it’s good to have a new kit to wear.
“My dad used to work at Ifor Williams, the factory is just down the road from the school, so we know a bit about the company.”
Jac Tudor, seven, said: “The new kit is good, it will be good to wear it, I like doing sport, my favourite sport is football.”
