Woodland Routes to Wellbeing is one of six projects in Wales which has successfully received funding from the Big Lottery Create Your Space Programme.  Create Your Space supports and enables local communities to take the lead on making positive and sustainable improvements to their local natural environment and green spaces. Woodland Routes to Wellbeing aims to do this, through three key projects within the Duffryn area. Create Your Space is just that! Creating YOUR space. The project has been created with the needs of the community at the forefront; by taking the opinions, needs and wants of the community and building the project around this.

Duffryn Community Link acts as the lead organisation working with Keep Wales Tidy, Growing Space and the National Trust in delivering this amazing project for the Duffryn Community.

This project is for the benefit of people of all ages from the community of Duffryn, Newport and surrounding area providing opportunities to improve employability, gain skills, access accredited training, improve the environment, improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing.

Woodland Routes to Wellbeing has been designed to have a far reaching impact engaging and supporting people of all ages across the community.  The partners have been selected due to expertise in their field and knowledge of the local area.

The areas are:

• Rabbit Hill Community Woodland– A big part of the project is to improve the previously forgotten Duffryn Woodland. We have an incredible natural area of woodland right on our doorstep; however over the years this area has been left to become overgrown; and so unused by the community. Residents of the local area confirmed that this was a problem area for fly tipping, antisocial behaviour and generally somewhere they didn’t use; despite having many fond memories of the woodland from times gone by. Working in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy we are bringing the woodland back to it’s former glory! We hold weekly volunteering sessions making improvements to the woods helping to support the native wildlife, increase biodiversity and create great outdoor spaces where the whole community can really enjoy the woodlands once more!
• Open Access Play – Duffryn Community Link‘s Play Ranger Team deliver FREE open access play sessions for children aged 4-14 within the Duffryn area and at Tredegar House Park every week. The team bring a variety of different play equipment and support the children to explore, build dens and really enjoy the outdoors!
• Allotment – Wellbeing Programme– The Allotments at Tredegar House of the programme to help improve mental wellbeing through support and training.  These sessions are managed by Growing Space.
• Community Allotment and Sensory Garden – Located in the beautiful grounds of Tredegar House.  The old 19th century Laundry has been renovated; along with it’s adjoining gardens to provide a community space to support those suffering with mental health difficulties and provide volunteering and training opportunities. The laundry allotment has a number of vegetable plots where the community is able to grow seasonal vegetables and fruits, supported by companion planting. There are also raised planting beds ensuring the volunteering is accessible to all. Wildflower beds have been planted; which not only look beautiful in the spring and summer months; but also encourage and support biodiversity and pollinators. The community space is managed by GrowingSpace and the National Trust.

Quote from Woodland Routes to Wellbeing Launch

At the Woodland Routes to Wellbeing Launch volunteers were being signed up to get involved in the woodland project, at the same time streets were signing up to get involved in the pilot project ‘WRTW Garden Project.

There is still a lot of work to be done to transform areas of the woodland, but the seven-year project has certainly got off to a great start and has some impressive community assets to build upon. I wish them all the best.

Sally Thomas
Policy & Learning Adviser, Developing Local Knowledge Policy & Learning Adviser, Developing Local Knowledge, Big Lottery

Keep up to date with Woodland Routes to Wellbeing by following us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

Here are the latest 10 news items.