Page 38 - ALG Issue 3 2024

WALES
CARING ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY Our wildlife garden project
Over recent years Maesycoed Allotments has sought to integrate itself more within the local community.
For those readers who are not familiar with the South Wales Valleys, Pontypridd is typical of many post-industrial towns in the area. During the 19th century, Pontypridd was a hive of industry; however, the loss
of primary iron and coal businesses in
and around the town left it struggling to survive in the modern world. Nevertheless, over recent decades the town has looked to re-establish its once proud heritage.
Now the town is once again a vibrant and busy place. Its proximity to Cardiff (12 miles), local public transport links (rail & bus), recent regeneration of the old civic buildings to the Llys Cadwyn Centre and Transport for Wales buildings, and ongoing development within Ynysangharad Park
to provide recreational and educational facilities for the town’s inhabitants, all these have helped inject a more progressive and positive aspect to the town.
However, challenges remain too. Over recent years, in line with the experience
of the inhabitants of many other towns up and down the country, the UK economic climate and cost of living crisis have resulted in increasing levels of necessity for the town’s foodbank. In addition to this, local pre-industrial primary schools have little or no ‘green space’ in which their pupils can learn about and interact with the natural world.
Maesycoed Allotments has sought to
address, in some small way, some of these issues through fostering links with local schools and the Pontypridd Ministry, who manage the town’s food bank.
In 2022, members at Maesycoed Allotments were asked if they could donate any surplus produce grown on their plots to ‘The Pantry’ foodbank at St. Catherine’s Church in Pontypridd. Members gave generously and weekly parcels of produce were delivered to The Pantry. However,
the growing season is not year long and amounts of produce were visibly insufficient to meet demand. Consequently, a large allotment plot is now being cultivated and managed by myself (Allotment Chairman) and a colleague Mr. Darrayl Salter (Plot Letter), specifically for providing produce to the food bank.
In late 2023, another plan began to gain traction, with the aims of supporting local children’s education and attempting to improve other individuals’ health and the wider issues of wellbeing in the community.
Committee members recognised that our Association could and should do
more to help the community. A plan was formulated with the aim of helping pupils from two local primary schools and others in our community, in terms of providing
a green space (an old, very overgrown plot on our site) where educational opportunities could be offered.
Essential elements of the Curriculum
for Wales involve pupils experiencing the wonder of the natural world contributing to their spiritual development and wellbeing which can help to cultivate in them a
sense of place and sense of belonging as embodied in the Welsh word ‘Cynefin’.
The Curriculum states that pupils should ‘have an awareness of the future sustainability of our world and climate change, and that knowing about the structures and functions of living things enables learners to understand how these things grow, develop and reproduce successfully.’We should give pupils opportunities to ‘explore why all living things require specific conditions and
38 | Issue 3 2024 | Allotment and Leisure Gardener