Fersiwn Gymraeg ar gael yma
The Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff project has ended after five years of close work with Cardiff’s local green spaces and community groups. The project began in 2017 as a partnership between RSPB Cymru, Cardiff Council and Buglife Cymru, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. What was the purpose of this project?In 2013, RSPB found that children in Wales are some of the least nature-connected in the UK. Only one in eight children in Wales are reasonably connected to nature, compared to the UK average of one in five.
To tackle this, the project provided low-cost nature-based activities for children and families in Cardiff, sessions in schools and workshops to teachers and community leaders. Over the project’s lifetime, the project connected more than 30,000 children to nature in their local environment.
Children planting at an event at Star Hub. (Tamsin Davies)
Working with the community The project also sought to work with communities to improve the biodiversity of local green spaces. The project worked with Urban Buzz sites, providing knowledge, support and advice to local green sites and communities that were looking to assist pollinators in the city.
Maes Y Coed Community Centre’s Urban Buzz. (Liams Olds)
Throughout the five years, thousands of children and families were brought closer to nature. Through joining a bug hunt or a pollinator workshop, re-wilding old wellies or becoming a wildlife detective, there were plenty of ways to join in on the fun. That connection will live on long into the future, helping to ensure the nature on our doorstep is looked after for many years to come.
School children rewilding wellies from Cardiff Muslim Primary School. (rspb-images.com)
The project has increased opportunities for children in Cardiff to connect to nature now and in the future. It has been heartening to see 70% of schools committing to create more homes for nature, and over 90% of families saying they have learnt something new and would do the activities with their children again.
The project would not have been a success without the teachers, community children’s teams, community groups and our amazing 193 talented and enthusiastic volunteers who donated 3,500 hours of time to assist with events, admin, photography and translation. Thanks to all who were involved!
Our volunteers lined up ready to help at children's events. (Adam Careless)
What next?The project leaves a legacy of multilingual resources and trained children’s workers and volunteers, who will continue to work closely with the partner organisations to give children and communities opportunities to work together to give nature a home in Cardiff’s green spaces.