Godre’r GraigWoodlandPark

(A proposal for development)

Carl Gough,

Ystalyfera Development Trust,

72 Commercial Street,

Ystalyfera

SA9 2HS

Tel. 01639 843965 e-mail:

The current situation:

  • Residents of Godre’r Graig do not have many community facilities available.
  • Community Survey 2008 identified local environment to be one issue of concern for residents.
  • The Environment Society is low on membership and looking for projects to develop.
  • Godre’r GraigPrimary School is looking for Eco-School status.
  • More activities & facilities for Youth are also needed
  • Godre’r GraigPark is overgrown and neglected and mostly inaccessible.

The Location:

The aerial view below shows the park area bordered in white and the ordinance survey map shows the wider context. Ordinance Survey Grid Reference SN 749 066

Figures: (below) aerial view of Godre’r Graig Park bordered in white. (Right) OS map of the park area bordered in red

The proposal:

Create a woodland park in Godre’r Graig Park available for the whole community to use. The project would seek to actively involve and engage the whole community in the planning, development and physical work to create a community leisure facility that provides something for everyone.

The WoodlandPark project could provide a catalyst to bring together the community with a purpose, provide training opportunities in a range of conservation skills and become a source of pride for everyone involved. The finished park would continue to offer volunteering opportunities for its upkeep, whilst also providing a safe play area for children, a relaxing space for adults and a place the whole family could enjoy.

The following pictures provide an image of what can be achieved in a woodland park and help to graphically represent the kind of mini projects involving the local community that could come together synergistically to create an impressive end result.

How could this proposal be achieved?

To take the park from its current state the following steps would be necessary:

  • Identify ownership
  • Research History
  • Planningoutline of developments including but not limited to:

-Scrub clearance
-Establishments of paths
-Community Sculptures
-Benches & Seating
-Shelters
-Maintenance plan
-Storage of tools / -Planting (native species)
-Open areas
-Conservation projects
-Historical context
-Facilities needed
-Timetable of activities
-Drainage
  • Enthusing the community
  • Community Consultations - Public Meetings
  • Costings for the planned developments
  • Planning permissions - if necessary
  • Creation of volunteer base (residents, youth, school)
  • Forging partnerships to support the volunteers
  • Securing Funding

Potential Partnerships & Involvement:

The possibility of true partnership work with this project is immense. Organisations have the ability to meet their own aims and objectives whilst the community will benefit from a wealth of help, advise and expertise to create a mutually beneficial arrangement for all.

  • Education providers: The project has great opportunities to provide skills and training (formal and informal) for everyone taking part. The work will give the chance for people to explore work and activities they have never tried before and could stimulate new career aspirations as a result. The need to provide formal accredited learning is therefore highly possible.

Formal learning opportunities exist in:
  • Bench making
  • Path Creation
  • Woodwork
  • Sculpture & Natural art
  • Ecosystems & Biodiversity
  • Conservation & conservation techniques
  • Local History
/ Informal learning opportunities exist in:
  • Volunteering
  • Intergenerational practice
  • Citizenship

  • Schools: Involvement could help work towards Eco-School status. Through the children, parents would also become involved. Once completed, the park could continue to be used as an educational resource for the children right on their doorstep.
  • Youth: Involvement of local youth from Ynysmeudwy Boys & Girls Club, Ystalyfera Youth Club and Youth Service would not only provide new activities for local youth, but also provide accredited learning, skill development, confidence and team building opportunities. Youth involvement would be key to reducing incidence of vandalism.
  • Local Residents: Support from the local community would be vital as they would not only be needed to help with the renovation process, but also have a part to play as unofficial custodians of the completed park. The project will provide a catalyst that brings the community together for a single purpose and has the potential to stimulate other community based projects.
  • Environmental organisations and groups: The Ystalyfera Environmental Society are seeking projects to get involved with and new membership. The society could potentially become the main body to organise local volunteers for environmental projects across Godre’r Graig and Ystalyfera. BTCV can provide important knowledge and skills but also offer a range of OCN accreditations that volunteers could achieve. Mentro Allan deal with the Youth aspects of BTCV’s work with the 11-25 year olds. The Green Gym is also a BTCV initiative using volunteer work in the environment as a way to get fit and healthy. Therefore, the Green Gym concept also offers further partnership working with the Community Champion and the Ystalyfera Health & Wellbeing Centre.
  • Health & Wellbeing : there are numerous direct and indirect benefits relating to health and general wellbeing for local residents and the volunteers involved in the development of the park. The Ystalyfera Community Champion & Ystalyfera Health & Wellbeing Centre could have an important role to play in supporting/advocating this aspect (also see Environmental organisations above).
  • Intergenerational Practice: Intergenerational aspects can be included in many aspects of the renovation work. Environmental improvement, community sculptures, bench-making could all incorporate an intergenerational approach which has been shown to increase community cohesion through improved communication and understanding between the generations.
  • Heritage : The Heritage Society could have a role to play in establishing the history of the park (plaque mentions its official opening in 1924). There may also be scope to re-introduce some of the original features of the park. The heritage aspects will create a sense of ‘community roots’.
  • Community Council: Would have an important role to play in establishing the project within the larger context of community activities, and ensuring sustainability of the project. Could also act as intermediary between the community and county council.
  • Activities and Events: Any organisation able to deliver inclusive activities and events for the community could have an important role to play. Arts, environmental activities, play development etc. could all be provided as part of the project.
  • Older people: The experience and knowledge of older people is an important resource for the project. Their involvement in the voluntary groups is key to their success and represents an opportunity for them to remain active, healthy and re-engage with the community.
  • Legal aspects: the voluntary groups established will need advise and support in a range of legal requirements (most notably the ‘Friends of the Park’ group).The support of organisations and groups such as CVS will be vital to help ease the path, whilst also training up the volunteers involved regarding their responsibilities in becoming a constituted group.

Stages of Development, Community effects

& Approximate Timescales

The following information is a guide to how the developments could be achieved in 4 stages. Each stage has its own rationale and soft outcomes which are described below. Once the full public meetings have been held and the community have contributed to the development plans, it will be possible to create more detailed methodologies, task lists and timescales.

Ystalyfera Development Trust would take on the coordinating role in all these actions, seeking the support and assistance of different organisations and partners to facilitate the work involved.

Rationale of each staged development

  • Stage 1: Creating the Wave.

Creating the Wave is about raising awareness and enthusiasm about the project among the local residents. The success of the project will heavily rely upon the level of support originating directly from the Community. Therefore, Stage one will commence with a series of Public Meetings (probably at Godre’r Graig Primary School initially) to:

  • Present the concept to local residents
  • Enthuse the community about the potential of the project
  • Motivate the community to get involved
  • Get general input for other ideas
  • Enable any immediate questions or concerns to be answered
  • Begin to establish membership to volunteer sub groups (e.g. Conservation, Heritage Research, Arts & Sculpture, Infrastructure & Planning, etc).

The meeting will enable the community to have their ideas incorporated into the project and help clarify the aims and objectives, leading to the creation of a development plan. Permitting the community to have their views included will help empower them and facilitate the eventual creation of group to become custodians of the park at the end of the project.

The development of sub groups will result in a more manageable system. Several smaller projects can then run simultaneously with careful coordination, to achieve the overall aim of creating a woodland park.

  • Stage 2: Riding the Wave.

Riding the Wave is about enabling the energy, enthusiasm and motivation generated in stage 1 to be harnessed and drive forward the necessary planning and developments so that people can quickly begin to see action on the ground.

By facilitating a rapid movement from initial meeting into voluntary action there is a real potential to create a second wave of enthusiasm as the community begin to see the project manifested within the park itself. This second wave will not only begin to raise confidence levels among volunteers created in stage 1, but is also likely to feed the project with more volunteers as more people become aware of the project.

This stage also represents the refinement of the development plan and the application for funds to carry out this plan.

  • Stage 3: The Ripple Effect

This stage includes the main physical development of the park. Each volunteer sub group will be working towards a set of aims and objectives developed for that group, governed by the development plan created from stage 1 & 2.

As each sub group decides on a course of action and is supported in turning that action into physical development, confidence will increase. Through increased confidence, enthusiasm will grow to create a ripple effect that will help to drive the project forward.

Every new activity in the park will also create its own ripple effect within the community by the positive physical changes encouraging community members not already actively involved to become volunteers as well.

  • Stage 4: Reflections

This is the final stage of development. A group along the lines of ‘Friends of the Park’ will take over the continuing maintenance, custodianship and events for the park, comprised of individuals involved in the parks development. They will organise a carnival style parade along Graig Road, ending in the park with a party for all ages to celebrate the completion of the physical improvements.

By this stage, everyone involved will be able to see what has been achieved and take pride in what has been created. The party will help convey this to others in the community who were not directly involved. Through this ‘reflection’ the park will become a testament to what a community can achieve when it works together and create a ‘spark’ that will ignite further voluntary community projects.

Approximate work & timescales associated with each stage

Stage / Work plan / Approximate Timescale
Creating the Wave
(Stage 1) /
  • Public Meetings
  • Community Input
  • Establish volunteer base
  • Establish involvement of other organisations.
  • Develop Partnerships
  • Begin seeking funding sources
  • Identify suitable expertise to support volunteers
  • Begin creating development plan (content will depend upon outcomes from public meetings).
/ June - Sept 2008
Stage / Work plan / Approximate Timescale
Riding the Wave
(Stage 2) /
  • Run 3-4 workshops / activities
  • Survey of existing flora/fauna
  • Commence with scrub clearance
  • Continue to source and secure funding
  • Continue partner development
  • Finalise development plan
/ Sept 08 to Feb 09
Stage / Work plan / Approximate Timescale
The Ripple Effect
(Stage 3) /
  • Initiate development plan
  • Continue to source and secure funding
  • Continued support and development for volunteer groups
  • Establish accredited training options for volunteers.
/ Feb 09 to June 2010
Stage / Work plan / Approximate Timescale
Reflections
(Stage 4) /
  • Full Handover to ‘Friends of the Park’
/ June 2010
  • Official Launch & Party
/ July/August 2010

(Timescales were revised in September 2008)

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