Healthy food plan for new community garden

Residents are creating a focal point for community activity in the heart of Grangetown with the support of one of Cardiff University's flagship engagement projects

A community garden is being developed in Grange Gardens to grow healthy food and provide a fun activity for local people.

Residents are working with the University's Community Gateway project, which will be offering funding to develop the garden and potentially open up the bowls pavilion for further community use.

A community gardening day, organised by Grange Pavilion Project, was held at the site and attracted more than 40 residents.

They were joined by Julian Rees from pollination consultancy Pollen8 Cymru, who brought along seeds to attract bees, and Sam Holt of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, who taught people how to build raised beds out of old pallets provided by Keep Wales Tidy.

Elen Robert, a member of the pavilion project group, said: "The bowling green at Grange Gardens has always been an important site where local people can come together to participate in a communal activity that is fun and healthy.

"We wanted to ensure that the site continued to be a focus for community gathering in the heart of Grangetown."

Elen, who has been involved with Riverside community garden previously, said she had experienced first-hand the "benefits of working with other people in the community to grow healthy food and other useful plants".

"The site of the bowling green at Grange Gardens seemed the perfect spot to try to establish something similar, and from talking to other local residents it became clear that there was a real need in Grangetown for more activities and events that could help draw people of all ages and cultures together," she said.

"Over the coming months we will be working with Cardiff University to establish a wider network of local people, including local schools, who are interested in using and tending the site."

Community Gateway is one of the University's five flagship engagement projects, otherwise known as its Transforming Communities programme.

The University is working with communities in Cardiff, Wales and beyond in areas including health, education and wellbeing.

This includes supporting Cardiff city-region, connecting communities through hyperlocal websites, building community engagement models and working with the Welsh Government to help achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals.