Wild-water swims and pizza school help people Multiply their number skills

Wild-water swims, fitness sessions and a ‘pizza school’ are just some of the events held by Multiply recently to help people improve their number skills.

The Numeracy for Living - Multiply project helps adults improve their confidence with numbers in everyday life, offering easy access to a wide range of FREE maths courses across North Wales.

Whether you need help with managing your money, supporting your children with their homework, or you want to progress at work or onto higher levels of training, Multiply can help - and in more ways than you might realise.

Learners braved the sea off Trearddur Bay for a wild-water swim held in conjunction with Age Cymru Gwynedd a Môn recently.

Swimmers measured their heart rates and body temperatures before and after the dip, comparing the readings across different age groups and genders, and calculating averages in the different categories.

Alwen Pennant Watkin, Anglesey Community Hubs Support Officer for Age Cymru Gwynedd and Môn said: ''On behalf of Age Cymru Gwynedd and Môn, I would like to thank Grŵp Llandrillo Menai's Multiply team for supporting our Dewch i Drosi Dros Dewi event held in Trearddur Bay.

"We had fun recording the heart rates before and after being in the sea and working out the average for men and women under 50 and over 50."

In Gwynedd, a ‘Numeracy in Fitness’ session was held at Caffi Braf in Dinas Dinlle near Caernarfon. There was also a ‘Smart Spends’ event in Porthi Dre, a community hub in Caernarfon which houses the local foodbank. This involved a budgeting workshop followed by a game of maths bingo.

Multiply tutors were at the Bangor University Science Fair, attended by more than 700 people. Here, tutors tasked people with calculating how many jelly beans were in the pot, and challenged them with other maths puzzles.

Back on Anglesey, Multiply hosted a pizza school and a cake-baking session, introducing parents and guardians to budgeting by cooking from scratch. There was also an Easter walk from South Stack in conjunction with the RSPB, which was another opportunity to discuss numbers and numeracy outside the classroom while exercising.

Multiply attended the Tourism and Hospitality Jobs Fair hosted by the Department for Work and Pensions at Llangefni Jobcentre. Tutors had people crunching the numbers by setting them maths tasks directly linked to the hospitality trade.

The event was attended by Virginia Crosbie, MP for Ynys Môn, who said: “A lack of maths skills can be a major obstacle for many in getting on with careers, attaining promotions and generally achieving life’s ambitions.

“So, I am delighted Ynys Môn has received significant funding from the UK Government to help people across the island to improve their maths free of charge.

“As a former maths teacher, this sort of investment is very close to my heart, and I know it will be put to excellent use by the team at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai.”

Alaw Jones, Multiply Project Project Engagement Co-ordinator for Anglesey, said: “Multiply events like these show you’re never too old to get to grips with numeracy, and that it's not restricted to the classroom.”

Now, even more people can access Multiply courses following a change to the eligibility criteria.

To be eligible for Multiply courses through Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, you simply need to be 19 years or over, and live within the counties of Gwynedd, Anglesey, Conwy and Denbighshire.

Learners can work towards a Level 2 qualification, and this can support individuals to progress into further studies or employment.

Multiply works with individuals, community groups, third-sector organisations, schools, and small and large businesses. The flexibility of the project means support can be tailored for individual or group needs. The content of the courses is wide-ranging and flexible, while sessions can be held on weekdays, weeknights or weekends.

Multiply is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Grŵp Llandrillo Menai leads on the Multiply project in Gwynedd, Anglesey, Conwy and Denbighshire.

Would you like to improve your maths skills? For more information about Multiply courses, click here. To apply, email multiply@gllm.ac.uk, call 01492 542 338 or complete this online form.