Cardiff projects April update

It’s been a productive few months for the Stand for Nature Cardiff forum! The nest box scheme at Forest Farm has been going really well, lots of the nest boxes are now in use and we’re hoping to start seeing some chicks in the nests very soon. Our forum members have learned how to check the nest boxes safely and have been learning all about the different bird species using the nests, as well as the importance of running nest box schemes for the conservation of our native birds.

Members of the Cardiff forum have also joined the Stand for Nature national campaign group, which will be tackling climate & nature issues on a Wales-wide scale. This group will give members the opportunity to voice their opinions on a larger scale, and to work with other like-minded young people from across Wales. The first in-person meeting is being hosted very shortly, and I can’t wait to see what campaign ideas the group comes up with!

We are also excited to be spending the 29^th of May in the Red Dragon centre running a VR dolphin-dive experience to celebrate the release of The Little Mermaid. We will be there all day to raise awareness about ocean conservation, and to tell everyone about the Stand for Nature project and how to get involved.

Our “My Wild Cardiff” project has also been making some great progress this year. Through the My Wild Cardiff project, I have been supporting a series of creative workshops organized by Orchards Cardiff. The first was a creative writing workshop with local artist Cath Little at the Railway Gardens in Splott, looking at soil ecosystems and their importance for orchard wellbeing. The latest was a creative drawing workshop hosted by Scott from Beth Morris Workshops at Insole court, where we focused on orchard tree ecology and the importance of trees throughout their life cycle. It has been great to see so many people showing up for the workshops and walking away with new knowledge of wildlife in Cardiff.

Through the My Wild Cardiff project, we have also been able to organize a range of different events in partnership with various community groups across the city including a habitat workshop at Global Gardens, nest box installation at Roath Wild Gardens, and most recently a bird walk with Friends of Cathays Cemetery. We have been working closely with the Cardiff WTSWW local group to achieve these engagement days, and it has been a pleasure to meet so many people excited about the nature Cardiff has to offer.

We have an exciting schedule of events coming up this year, so if you’d like to get involved with any of the projects going on in Cardiff, or would like to run an event with support from My Wild Cardiff, send an email to a.griffiths@welshwildlife.org