The Phoenix Centre in Townhill is a non-profit multi-use community hub that's home to a nursery, foodbank, conference rooms and a popular café. It’s been active for 20 years, and regularly hosts a range of activities and programmes for children and locals in general.
But on one morning recently, staff arrived at the centre to find the premises had yet again been vandalised by youths, causing thousands of pounds of damage.
Christopher Norman, a member of the Phoenix’s Board of Directors, pointed out that the youths involved were, sadly, among the same ones who actually used the pitch.
Read more: Swansea Mayhill riot: The heroes who helped residents in aftermath of violence
"Some of the youths involved spend a lot of time at the centre, so it’s really disheartening to see them treat the centre with such disrespect," he said.
The AstroTurf multi-weather pitch suffered the worst damage, which had chunks ripped up and thrown around the premises, including the nursery play area.
The bench in the 'Hope' garden - an area designed to be a place of peaceful reflection for locals and dog walkers - was also damaged.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time the centre has been affected by anti-social behaviour.
When the centre operated as a foodbank to help those struggling through lockdown last November, youths threw hundreds of mud bombs at the building, requiring an extensive clean-up.
The news is hugely disappointing in a community that is still recovering from the damage caused by the Mayhill Riots in 2021 following the death of Ethan Powell.
Christopher said: "We are often described as the community hub and a haven for our local community and it's sad when a small minority causes such damage and mess. The staff here work so hard and it’s sad to see it thrown back in their faces."
He added: "We are the last community trust still standing and we want to provide for our community for many years to come, but to do this, we need the support from our youth community."
While the community is still sadly tarnished by anti-social behaviour, there is a much brighter side.
When the Phoenix posted images of the damage on social media, dozens of locals volunteered their time to clean up the mess.
One person who helped with the clean up was Sean Williams, 27, from Townhill.
"I grew up using the AstroTurf pitch for training when playing with West End AFC, and I was extremely disappointed to see it in such a bad state.
"As soon as I saw the post I knew I needed to help, and I'm glad that I did, because I felt a strong sense of duty and pride in the community after seeing so many rush to help."
The centre manager, Leanne Dower, said: "It's so disheartening to see our centre treated with such disrespect. However, the way the community responded and rushed to help us, was amazing.
"In true Townhill fashion, we all pull together when something like this happens and it was great to see so many members of our community help us clean up - we cannot thank them enough."
The centre has now installed an SAS CCTV camera and is working closely with PSCOs to identify the vandals and see what can be done to prevent instances like this from happening again.
A Swansea Council spokesperson also applauded the community effort, and hinted at some promising things coming to the area soon.
"We applaud the community-spirited efforts of those who rallied round to help. The all-weather pitch is an important and well used community facility and, in recent weeks, we’ve been considering how best to update it. We will keep the community updated on our plans," they said.
"This and other planned investment for local people will help support families, create safe and welcoming community facilities, improve sports facilities and give local businesses a boost."
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