Creating green spaces: Hope St Mellons

Hope St Mellons was established at the Beacon Centre, Cardiff in 2018 when local residents came together to create projects and activities aimed at strengthening the community and fostering new opportunities.

The centre takes referrals of St Mellons residents facing food poverty, and has also built a garden to help improve to the social, physical and financial wellbeing of the community.

The dedication that the Hope St Mellons volunteers have shown to their garden earned them the Community Food Growing Award at the 2024 Tidy Wales Awards.

Since 2021, Hope St Mellons have developed over 100m2 of disused land surrounding the Beacon Centre into a wildlife-friendly, food-growing garden supplying St Mellons Pantry. This community-led project tackles food insecurity in an area described as one of Wales’ ‘most deprived food deserts’.

The transformation began with a Local Places for Nature Development Package, delivered by Keep Wales Tidy. Since then, the Hope St Mellons team have worked hard to fundraise for further developments, including additional raised beds, paving improvements, gravel paths and planters. The team has also worked with volunteers to triple the food-growing space provided by Keep Wales Tidy and develop further habitat for wildlife. They then expanded to create a native micro-orchard – which now includes 18 fruit trees.

Hope St Mellons have supported community development at the space through St Mellons Pantry, Nature Club and Gardening Club. Together these volunteer-led groups have fostered wider community ownership, which has ensured the garden remains an open space for the public to enjoy every day.

The development has created a diverse ecosystem for wildlife, including native shrubs, a native wildflower meadow, and 26 varieties of organic fruit, herbs and vegetables. Volunteers have seen an increase in the variety of bees and butterflies frequenting the garden, and in the micro-orchard, while paths have been strimmed for access, the grass has been left to grow long. This has resulted in an increase in birds, insects and amphibians in the space.

The Gardening Club use permaculture principles to support wildlife and to work in harmony with nature, including companion planting to tackle pests rather than using pesticides. Creating such an environment has led to the development of further groups, such as the Nature Club who have developed habitats on site, including a large bug hotel, and have encouraged environmentalism through a monthly programme of activities, such as making bird boxes and planting bulbs.

The space has allowed for the growth of over 20 local volunteer opportunities through the Gardening Club, Pantry and Nature Club, with volunteers saying,

“To be involved and see the progress is fantastic” and “Gardening club has been what I look forward to every week. I think everybody should come over and try it.”

In April 2024, Hope St Mellons surveyed local community members about the development of the space:
100% of respondents felt the garden has improved the appearance of The Beacon Centre

96% of respondents felt the garden contributes to the physical and mental wellbeing of the local community

75% of respondents felt the garden contributes to a sense of community safety

96% of respondents felt the garden provides valuable volunteering opportunities

89% of respondents felt the garden contributes to local habitat for wildlife

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