FAN groups have been running in Cardiff for many years and recently have expanded to Bridgend, Barry, Swansea, Newport, Usk and the great news is that FAN is now in West Wales too!

Friends and Neighbours (or FAN) is a charity that brings people of all ages and backgrounds together in the spirit of friendship.

People who enjoy meeting others will be sure of finding a warm welcome when they attend! FAN was originally established in 2003 in Cardiff as a way for non-English speakers to practice their language skills.

FAN groups create a sense of community and are a wonderful network. They offer a good opportunity for newcomers to an area to meet local people.

FAN groups are particularly helpful for those wanting to learn English or who already speak it but would like to improve. Anyone is welcome to come to a FAN group and make new friends, whether you are a local or from the other side of the world!

So, what happens in a FAN group? In pre-Covid 19 days members would meet in a group together in person but for the past year have been meeting virtually using Zoom.

“Everyone gets a turn to speak, but if you are feeling shy, you do not have to speak if you don’t want to,” said a spokesperson.

“We don’t interrupt and we listen to the person whose turn it is to share. When everyone has spoken, we close the meeting and then we have an informal chat to get to know each other.”

It is free to attend a FAN group.

The West Wales FAN group starts at 3 pm each Tuesday for about an hour, it’s a friendly place to be, so why not pop in and find out for yourself? You’re sure of a warm welcome!

For further details please check out the website: www.TheFanCharity.org Give the Facebook page a ‘like’ to keep up to date with what’s happening in local groups http://www.Facebook.com/TheFanCharity.

For more information and the Zoom link for West Wales FAN group contact Philippa on 07938978397 or email [email protected].