From wasteland to wildlife haven: Community volunteers in Merthyr Tydfil win Green Flag Award
After 18 months of hard work, the Cyfarthfa Ward Community Group transformed a neglected, litter-strewn patch of land in Castle Park into an award-winning biodiversity haven.
Hello and welcome to The Valleys Lead.
Who needs a good news story this week? Same. We’ve got a story for you about environmental change driven by a local community in Merthyr Tydfil. A group of volunteers who refused to simply complain about their environment, and instead took matters into their own hands to clean and beautify it.
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The Valleys Briefing
(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):
It has been four months since Blaenau Gwent councillors approved a scheme to build social housing flats at the site of a former hotel in Ebbw Vales, and this week, planning permission has finally been given. Rhondda Developments will now be able to build 20 one-bedroom flats suitable for two people, and six two-bedroom flats for three people. The site has been derelict since the demolition of the hotel following a fire in 2008.
A resident in Porth demands answers as a sinkhole has left homes blocked six months later. On 2 February, a sinkhole appeared at the back of properties in Aberrhondda Road in Porth, No one was harmed, but five homes on the street were evacuated while the Mining Remediation Authority carried out initial investigations and filled the hole with stone to stabilise the immediate area before residents were allowed to return. Six months, later, it’s still “a mess,” said a resident. There is an open sewer drain, pipes everywhere, and the hole has been filled with chippings. “The back of our properties still blocked off and there’s been no update to the residents,” the resident said. “I spoke to mining engineers at the time and they said it was caused by an old mine shaft collapsing.” Mining Remediation Authority confirmed the incident was caused by historical coal mining, and that they are undertaking assessments to create a permanent solution.
A Caerphilly County Borough resident is celebrating this summer after being named the latest winner of the Council’s Mash for Cash campaign. Mr Turner from Cwm Calon has won £500 after being randomly selected from households across the county borough that take part in the food waste recycling service. The Mash for Cash initiative, which is supported by the business sector, was introduced in March 2022 to encourage more residents to recycle their food waste and increase participation in the weekly collection service. Every household in Caerphilly County Borough that presents its food waste caddy for collection is automatically entered into the monthly draw, giving residents the chance to win a cash prize simply by recycling their food waste. Currently, over a quarter of the content found inside general waste bins throughout the Borough is food waste. The local authority is keen to divert food waste from general waste bins and into food waste caddies, where it can be converted into renewable energy as well as useful by-products such as compost and fertiliser.
Winner of the Mash for Cash Initiative in Caerphilly County
From wasteland to wildlife haven: Community volunteers in Merthyr Tydfil win Green Flag Award for green space
The hard work and dedication of members of Cyfarthfa Ward Community Group in Merthyr Tydfil has resulted in Chepstow Close Green receiving Keep Wales Tidy’s Green Flag Community Award for the first time ever.
When the Castle Park Estate was originally built, green spaces were planted, scattered throughout the residential properties for leisure purposes, Phil Star, chairman of the Cyfarthfa Ward Community Group, told The Valleys Lead.
“But over the years, these spaces have been neglected and just have dog poo and fly tipping in them,” Phil said. “There was a particular spot (what they are now calling Chepstow Close Green) that was particularly unsightly. It was like a wasteland. We applied to the land registry to find who the owner was, and it came back as unknown, so we’ve adopted it [informally] until someone comes along and says it’s their land.”
Living next to this community land was a resident, Nigel, who recently joined the community group and had requested that the group consider tidying up the land.
“As a group, we gradually cleared it of the waste, rocks, and bush,” Phil said. “Rather than manicuring it, we wanted the space to be a place for biodiversity. We decided as a group to cut pathways through it and leave the space between the paths for biodiversity. We planted a cherry tree in the middle and created different habitats in the different parts of the green.”
They sowed various flower seeds in two sections for bees to pollinate, left one areas grassy for grasshoppers, and then in the fourth section, the group is currently creating a shallow pond (a scrape) for frogs, toads, and newts.
“We understand the issues connected with climate change, and making sure species have somewhere they can survive,” Phil said. “We wanted to create a place pedestrians could walk but then leave an area for smaller species can thrive. People are our priority, but people can live alongside the biodiversity that exists in the area.”
Eighteen months after the group started working on the land, it’s become a haven for people and small animals, winning it the Green Flag award in recognition of the environmental improvements and community involvement in the area. The judge of the competition stated the “the area is a lovely little green that has been transformed from a derelict space to a haven of biodiversity. Seeing the before pictures, it is hard to believe that this is the same place.”
Cyfarthfa Ward Community Group has been working for years to keep their ward tidy and beautiful despite having what Phil calls some of the “biggest polluters” of rubbish in the borough in their ward – the retail park, Merthyr Tydfil College, and fast-food outlets.
