Support continues following explosion tragedy

A month after the devastating incident donations to an emergency appeal set up to help households directly affected continue to roll-in.

Swansea Council and its partners are also continuing to support the community and will continue to do so for as long as it takes.

A number of householders unable to return home until repairs are carried out are in discussions with their insurance companies.

In some cases significant work is needed which could take months to complete. Swansea Council services continue to engage with householders and insurance companies to provide advice as this work continues.

The council has located a community support point in Morriston Library where a team has been helping those directly and indirectly affected with a wide range of queries.

Council teams were instrumental in the initial clean-up operation as they cleared the roads around the site of the blast.

Where possible, they saved items of personal value that they found and returned them to families and they have created a temporary road so people in Field Close have access to their homes.

They have also been working to clear the wider area including helping to clear football pitches of blast debris at Morriston Town FC so matches can resume.

Officers on the ground, including our local area coordinators, have been making regular visits in an effort to stay in touch with those affected to offer advice and support.

Swansea Council has been supporting our partners at Swansea Council for Voluntary Service who set-up an emergency appeal and every penny raised from this will go to residents.

Thanks to the amazing generosity of individuals, organisations and businesses, more than £30,000 has been raised to date with more to come including money raised from a community concert at Morriston Tabernacle last week.

SCVS is administering the fund and more than £20,000 has already been passed on to households so that those who were affected had money in their pocket as soon as possible.

Swansea Council Leader Rob Stewart said: "Our thoughts very much remain with those affected by this devastating tragedy.

"I was humbled to attend the community concert last week where there was a clear demonstration of how the community has pulled together at this time.

"As a council we fully support the emergency appeal established by our partners at SCVS as every penny raised will be going to directly to those affected.

"We have also tried to go above and beyond in doing what we can to support residents directly and I'd like to thank our teams on the ground for their work which will continue as long as it is needed."

SCVS Director Amanda Carr said: "Although a month has now passed since the terrible incident in Morriston, there are still so many people affected. Some families will be unable to return to their homes for quite some time, and other households have been under a tremendous amount of strain while they deal with the emotional and practical stress that the explosion caused.

"We would like to thank each and every person that has contributed to the appeal. A staggering £30,000 has been raised so far, and we've been working hard to make sure that it is being distributed as quickly as possible to those who have been affected.

"In the face of tragedy, Swansea has once again shown that it is a truly caring community."

To find out more about the official appeal run by SCVS, including how to donate, go here: https://www.scvs.org.uk/news/morristonupdate-apr23

The latest information for Morriston residents affected by the incident can be found here:  https://www.swansea.gov.uk/morristonsupport