Hannah exploring a bluebell woods
An exciting project in the rural wards of Merthyr Tydfil
Invasive species control in action
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales are partnering up with Actif Woods to start an exciting 3 year project in Merthyr Tydfil called 'Connecting People and Nature'.
With support from Welsh Government's Rural Development Programme, we are going to be basing activities at 4 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough council owned sites to engage with the local communities of Bedlinog, Vaynor, Bryngoleu and Gellideg.
We will be encouraging local people to access these green spaces with the aim of benefiting the health of the landscape, individuals and the community.
Our aims at the sites are to:
- Enhance and protect the local biodiversity
- Increase local skills and create a sense of ownership at the sites - giving people the confidence to get outdoors in their local area
- Improve community cohesion
- Improve health and wellbeing
To deliver these aims we will be carrying out a range of activities including:
- Practical conservation and habitat management works
- Wildlife surveys and training
- Crafts and activities such as green woodworking, willow weaving and mindfulness
- A 12 week programme using woodland activities to improve people's health
Each site will have a management plan written detailing actions to be taken over the 3 years following the project. In order to safeguard the sites for continued community use in the future we will work towards having the sites designated as Local Nature Reserves. This will give them permanent legal protection as wildlife havens and community spaces.
We are keen to work with the whole of the community with the 4 wards, to ensure that the sites are used effectively for all and as such, we would welcome suggestions from everyone.
We are looking for local volunteers to get involved in conservation work on each of the sites. If you like the sound of activities such as litter picking, scrub clearance, wildlife surveys and building bird boxes, then why not get involved and get in touch.
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer on the project please contact Lorna Baggett by email or on 07812063444.
More information about the Connecting People and Nature project can also be found on facebook
