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24/01/2012
Groundwork volunteers restored disused land
Young people and adults in Wales rolled up their sleeves in 2011 and gave an impressive total of 134,700 days of their free time to help grassroots charity Groundwork improve communities and environments across the country.
These volunteers supported Groundwork staff in scores of projects that gave facelifts to neighbourhoods, combatted climate change, tackled anti-social behaviour, built local skills and strengthened community spirit.
Groundwork’s latest impact report shows that such projects across Wales in 2011 saved almost 6000 tonnes of CO2, the approximate equivalent to removing 1500 cars from Wales’ roads for a year, and maintained over 3.8 million square metres of land, the equivalent to 543 football pitches. The charity also planted more than 7900 trees and diverted more than 1430 tonnes of waste from local landfill sites, significantly reducing climate change in Wales.
One of the many successful projects carried out by local volunteers was the Green Skills programme in Aberdare, which brought together members of the local community to carry out a range of activities including woodland management, footpath improvements, dry stone walling, landscape maintenance, hedge laying and other practical projects in the Merthyr and Rhondda Cynon Taff area.
Speaking of Groundwork’s impact across Wales in 2011, Ian McIntosh, Director of Groundwork in Wales, said:
“Groundwork is committed to helping people across Wales create better neighbourhoods, build skills and job prospects and live and work in a greener way. Our projects benefit local communities by offering innovative, holistic solutions to combat the issues affecting disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Wales.
“We are proud of our impact across the country in 2011 and are encouraged by the levels of support we have received from volunteers in local communities across the region. We look forward to continuing our work with these communities and delivering projects that make a real difference to people’s lives.”
Another notable initiative delivered by Groundwork volunteers in 2011 was the Community Garden Network in North Wales, which brought together local communities to plant, nurture and harvest their own organic produce. Volunteers from across the region worked tirelessly to transform overgrown, unused plots of land into fully functioning organic kitchen gardens providing seasonal fruit and vegetables to the local community.
Working towards its vision of creating a society of sustainable communities which are vibrant, healthy and safe, Groundwork projects deliver sustainable solutions to many of the major issues affecting communities across the region, including employment and skills, neighbourhood regeneration and climate change.
Groundwork in Wales’ unique approach brings together a network of organisations to deliver a wide range of programmes and projects right across Wales, using its expertise and experience to support people, communities and businesses in Wales in moving towards sustainable living and working.
For further information on Groundwork projects in Wales or to view a copy of the Impact Report, visit www.groundwork.org.uk/wales
