Community
Pharmabees has captured the imagination of people in Cardiff from all walks of life.
Health boards
We are currently working with the Anuerin Bevan Health Board to create a wellbeing pollinator garden at Ystrad Mynach Hospital.
Our aim is to create a supportive space for patients and staff, and through this process develop a model which could be shared with healthcare facilities across Wales.
We are also talking to the Cardiff and Vale Health board about a similar project at their Llandough hospital site and were recently contacted by representatives of the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board.
Greening Cathays
Housing stock in Cathays consists primarily of high density, multiple occupancy, Victorian housing occupied primarily by students who make up the majority the population during term time. Streets in Cathays are among the lowest in Cardiff in terms of greenery (1%), well below the Welsh average of 13%.
To capture the local environment opinions of both students and long-term residents of Cathays, third-year Social Science students at Cardiff University under the supervision of Dr Sara MacBride-Stewart from the university’s Sustainable Places Institute undertook 80 semi-structured ‘go-along’ interviews in six different locations in Cathays in the spring of 2020 (see Related Document generated with the support of Alys Morris).
Residents found their local communities generally dirty and lacking in ‘nature’ and greenery. They were pessimistic in the short term about what change will happen given that they feel student and university needs are being prioritised.
In terms of developing Cathays, residents confirmed they felt there was a need for more greenspace to improve the overall aesthetic and promote community wellbeing. Community wellbeing could increase from the higher presence of greenspace as well as using the greenspace in a social capacity to bring the community together.
In collaboration with Cardiff Council, planters were installed towards the end of 2020 at various sites along Fanny Street in an attempt to create local green spaces.
It is our intention in the spring of 2021, in partnership with local communities, to grow pollinator friendly plants in these planters and at sites across Cathays and to record the diversity and numbers of insects which visit these plants. This information we help us monitor the effects of climate change and local pollution on urban biodiversity.
Grangetown Community Gateway
Watch our video about how we are partnering for change.
Cardiff University is committed to building a long-term partnership with residents of Grangetown to make the area an even better place to live. It does this by developing world class research, teaching and volunteering opportunities which respond to local needs.
At the former Bowls Pavilion in Grangetown, we have worked closely with the local community to design, build and plant a bee friendly garden.
St David's shopping centre
Located in the heart of Cardiff, the centre plays host to millions of visitors a year and is also the home to almost a million honey bees which live on the roof of the building.
We have worked closely with colleagues at St David’s to up-skill their beekeepers and to develop innovative approaches with which to engage the public on issues related to the environment.
St Peter's community garden project
The efforts of the local community have created a garden adjacent to the Community Hall at St Peter's Fairwater.
To help the garden thrive we provided a bee hive and funds to enable a community volunteer to be trained as a bee keeper.
The Gardens are adjacent to Fairwater Primary school and our long term aim is to create opportunities for the children to visits and learn about the key role that pollinators play in keeping Cardiff a green and pleasant place.
Find out more about the St Peter's community garden project.
Greening the Bay
In recent years Cardiff bay has undergone major redevelopment to create a new environment for work and play.
While these changes are welcome, they have been at the expense of nature and for this reason we are working with local schools, voluntary groups such as the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), the Welsh Assembly Government and Cardiff Council to make Cardiff Bay a more pollinator friendly place.
Plans are in place to install bee hives on the roof of the Pierhead Building and the WCVA in collaboration with Mount Stewart Primary School have created a bee garden in the corner of a local car park.
Get involved
Contact us if you want to know more, or if you have an idea you would like to talk about.