Green Flag success for Monmouthshire

Monmouthshire County Council is proud to announce that more of the county’s attractions and open spaces have won prestigious Green Flag Awards this year.

The awards, presented by leading environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, give recognition to the locations that offer excellent facilities while demonstrating an ongoing commitment to delivering great quality green space.

This year sees Green Flag Awards going to the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal (included for the third consecutive year), Tintern Old Station (award winners since 2009), Caldicot Castle Country Park (since 2013), Castle Meadows Abergavenny (since 2014) and Bailey Park in Abergavenny.

The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is a well-deserved recipient of its second award this year. It runs through the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park with a stretch from Gilwern to Mamhilad within Monmouthshire itself. This quiet and scenic waterway with very few locks is popular with boating beginners and offers incredible mountain views and some of the darkest night skies in Britain.

Monmouthshire’s parks are also very popular with residents and visitors and have attracted numerous awards in recent years. Tintern’s Old Station is a popular attraction, and situated in a scenic wooded area next to the River Wye it’s described as a hidden gem. Caldicot’s magnificent medieval castle is set in fifty-five acres of beautiful country park offering an ideal setting for picnics and walks against the background of the castle walls, with picnic tables and barbeques.

Abergavenny’s tranquil Castle Meadows on the banks of the River Usk provides a peaceful setting just a short stroll from the centre of the town. Castle Meadows was the location for the very successful 2016 Monmouthshire and District National Eisteddfod.

Cabinet Member for Inclusive and Active Communities, Cllr. Sara Burch said: “I am so pleased that many locations within our beautiful county have received awards this year. It is fantastic to see that our sites at Caldicot Castle and Country Park, Tintern Old Station, Castle Meadows and Bailey Park have been recognised with Green Flag awards.”

In addition, gardens and green spaces across the county have also be recognised in the Green Flag Community Awards: The Incredible Edible Garden in Usk, Mardy Park, Caldicot Community Garden, Crick Woodland, Caerwent Meadows, Crick Meadow, Crucorney Allotments, Garden City Sensory Garden in Chepstow, Goytre Community Garden, Laurie Jones Community Orchard, The Cornfield (Portskewett and Sudbrook) and Rogiet Wildlife Friendly Village.

Cabinet Member for Climate Change & the Environment, Cllr. Catrin Maby said: “These awards mean so much for the many volunteers and community groups across the county. Their dedication and community spirit help keep so many green spaces in Monmouthshire looking beautiful. On behalf of my colleagues and myself, I would like to express our gratitude for all their hard work.

The Green Flag Award programme is delivered in Wales by environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, with support from Welsh Government. Independent green space experts volunteered their time in early autumn to judge applicant sites against eight strict criteria, including biodiversity, cleanliness, environmental management, and community involvement.

A full list of award winners can be found on the Keep Wales Tidy website www.keepwalestidy.cymru

For more information on the many attractions and places to visit in Monmouthshire take a look at: Visit Monmouthshire www.visitmonmouthshire.com/

Funding awarded for Gwent’s Nature Network

The Gwent Green Grid partnership has just announced that it has been awarded almost £1million by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales to promote resilient ecological Nature Networks in landscapes across Gwent.

The Nature Networks will give local people, schools and communities the opportunity to connect with nature. It will raise the awareness of climate and nature emergencies and deliver projects to create and improve the quality of the of green spaces in towns and the wider countryside to deliver nature recovery and increase the resilience of the environment for wildlife and people.

Nature Networks shall include the enhancement of green corridors, tree planting habitat management across the region and access improvements to local and regional routes. The project will also see the expansion of Nature isn’t Neat management where areas of grass are allowed to grow longer before cutting in a more sustainable way.

The project will build upon the successful work of the Gwent Green Grid; a partnership led by Monmouthshire County Council working in collaboration with Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Newport, and Torfaen local authorities and Natural Resources Wales, with other partners.

Cllr. Catrin Maby, Monmouthshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment, said: “This is great news for Monmouthshire, and our partner authorities and organisations across Gwent. The funding will help create nature and climate awareness opportunities, fund work to boost the resilience of ecosystems in and around our protected sites across the region and so much more.”

Monmouthshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Inclusive and Active Communities, Cllr. Sara Burch said: “This newly announced funding of £999,095 will secure high-quality green infrastructure improvements, which will include better connectivity of communities in a way that works with and supports the environment. I look forward to the next steps in bringing this Nature Network together.”

Andrew White, Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales said: “It’s a priority for The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales to protect the environment. This is why we support initiatives that help us meet our national nature recovery targets and mitigate the effects of climate change on heritage. 

“Through partnerships such as this, we invest in work that helps halt and reverse the loss and decline of habitats and species and allow people to connect with our unique natural heritage.”

Green infrastructure is the term used to describe a network of green spaces and other green features, rural and urban, that can delivery environmental benefits and improve quality of life for communities. This includes parks, open spaces, playing fields, woodlands, trees, residential streets, and much more. A good green infrastructure will help biodiversity, improve water run off after flooding, improve mental and physical wellbeing, encourage active travel and improve carbon storage.

For more information about the Gwent Green Grid visit www.monlife.co.uk/outdoor/green-infrastructure/green-infrastructure-partnerships-projects/gwent-green-grid-partnership/

Have your say on Community Nature Spaces proposals for Abergavenny

Monmouthshire County Council has been awarded ‘Local Places for Nature’ funding by Welsh Government to build upon the success of the Community Nature Spaces schemes in Monmouth and Chepstow to deliver a similar scheme in Abergavenny.

The project, which is currently in its initial phase, is seeking the opinion of local residents about the proposed sites in Abergavenny and their potential uses via a short questionnaire on the MonLife website. The consultation will close on Monday 31st July, 2023, but residents and stakeholders are welcome to get in touch about the project at any time.

Community Nature Spaces aims to transform Green Spaces, so they benefit from better grassland management and enhancements for nature to create mini havens for wildlife, providing habitat for pollinators and urban wildlife. But they will not only benefit wildlife, Community Nature Spaces will also provide residents with opportunities for wild play, community food growing and places to enjoy nature and for quiet reflection.

Community Nature Spaces could include:

• Community food growing spaces
• fruit trees/community orchards
• mini meadows and native hedgerows
• flower-rich meadows mounds and slopes
• Planting for pollinators and other wildlife
• Tree and shrub planting

Proposed Abergavenny locations include:

• Major’s Barn and Union Road/St Helen’s Close Play Areas
• Dan Y Deri Green Spaces & Play areas
• Green spaces on Park Close, Old Barn Way, Bishop Close and Highfield Crescent
• Croesonen Parc
• Nevill Hall
• Lower Monk Street road verge
• The bus station 

Cllr. Catrin Maby, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & the Environment said: “I am pleased that Community Nature Spaces are now coming to Abergavenny thanks to the funding that has been awarded. Green spaces in our towns and residential areas are incredibly important for our well-being, but they also help protect and support biodiversity, enriching the places we live.”

Cllr. Sara Burch, Cabinet Member for Active & Inclusive Communities said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to provide a network for wildlife and people in the very heart of our towns and engage with nature, which is good for everyone’s health and wellbeing. We’d love as many people as possible in and around Abergavenny to have their say about their Community Nature Spaces, to make sure it offers the very best for the town and its people.”

In order to get a full understanding of what Abergavenny’s community wants, Council Officers are working with the elected Town and County Councillors as well as local interest groups. Please visit www.monlife.co.uk/outdoor/consultation-community-nature-spaces where you will find a link to a questionnaire about green spaces in Abergavenny, how you use them and how you would like to see them used in the future. The initial phase of the consultation will close on Monday 31st July but residents and stakeholders are welcome to get in touch about the project at any time.

Tags: abergavenny, community, MonLife, Monmouthshire, Nature

Active Travel plans in Abergavenny take a step forward

Funding has been secured this financial year to start the construction of the new Active Travel bridge across the Usk, and revised plans for the entrance gates to Castle Meadows have been agreed between Monmouthshire County Council and Transport for Wales. A planning application to improve paths through Castle Meadows, Abergavenny will be considered in the near future by the Council’s Planning Committee. Planning discussions were delayed from July’s planning meeting while a query from Natural Resources Wales about the ecology of the site was explored.

A trial cattle grid with a gate at Castle Meadows will be removed and replaced with just a gate, and the new bridge across the Gavenny will have no grids or gates and allow barrier-free access. Other entry points which lead onto roads and car parks will have kissing gates replaced with easily opened, self-closing single gates and a cycle-width cattle grid for cycles and mobility scooters. The grids will only be in use when cattle are grazing, which is usually between July and January, to give easy access for all users while keeping cattle enclosed. Grazing by cattle is important to the biodiversity of the traditional water meadows.   

Cllr. Sara Burch, Cabinet member for inclusive and active communities said:

“I am delighted that funding has been secured this financial year to enable the construction of the new Active Travel bridge across the Usk at Castle Meadows to begin. It is hoped that it will be completed in 2024 and will make it safer for people to travel between Llanfoist and Abergavenny.

“We have listened to public opinion regarding access points to Castle Meadows and as a result we will be removing the trial cattle grid. The original proposals are national best practice for active travel routes that cross areas where cattle graze, but clearly Castle Meadows needs a bespoke approach. The team have explored various alternatives following an incident early this year, including what has worked elsewhere and suggestions made by the public. This is a complex site and there are no easy solutions. We will now only install grids where we would expect dog owners to have their dog on a lead, such as the entrances from car parks and the road. There will be clear signage wherever they are installed. I am grateful to Transport for Wales for continuing to support us with Active Travel funding while allowing flexibility in how we deliver the scheme.

“This scheme is a big investment in Abergavenny’s future and we have to get every detail right. Our aim remains to enable everyone to enjoy the beautiful Castle Meadows including walkers, families with small children, people with limited mobility, cyclists and dog owners. People will be able to choose to use the new, safe, attractive, resin bound surfaces, or wander through the informal paths. The Active Travel routes will provide a safe and pleasant route for walkers and cyclists between Llanfoist and the different areas of Abergavenny, including the new King Henry VIII school and the station. We will continue to consult on the detail of the scheme at each phase.”     

There has been some speculation locally that dogs being walked on the meadows will have to be kept on a lead as a result of this scheme. This is incorrect – dogs will continue to be allowed off a lead when it is safe to do so on Castle Meadows. Dogs on or off a lead must always be under an owner’s control, especially around children, cyclists and cattle. And all responsible dog owners should always pick up after their dog.

The proposed route in Abergavenny is one of many across the country that have been proposed as a result of the Active Travel (Wales) act. The act aims to reduce the amount of car journeys by improving the active travel routes in towns. This in turn aims to reduce pollution, improve health and equality.

The scheme has been funded by the Welsh Government through the Active Travel Fund, administered by Transport for Wales. This money is ring-fenced for improvements to Active Travel routes. Each phase of the scheme is subject to separate funding approval, and construction in the Castle Meadows can only take place at certain times of year, making this a multi-year project.

For the latest information about the Active Travel project in Abergavenny and to view the frequently asked questions about the scheme please visit: https://www.monlife.co.uk/castle-meadows-faq/

Monmouthshire’s pupils shine at the PlayMaker Conference

Across the week of 5^th June, Monmouthshire primary schools attended the PlayMaker Conference. The aim was to bring Monmouthshire’s young leaders together for further training and to celebrate their leadership journeys. Children from 27 out of 30 Monmouthshire primary schools took part in carousel of activities delivered by MonLife Services, Monlife Leadership Academy and external partners, including Rogiet and Dixton parkrun groups, Monmouthshire Community Hubs (and libraries), Bowls Wales, Dragons RFC Community. The events included developing play opportunities, promoting Active Travel, pupil voice, National Governing Body workshops, Team Building, Wellbeing awareness, Disability Inclusion training and many more.

The week-long programme of events received fantastic support from comprehensive schools in Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth, who provided facilities for the events as well as and Abergavenny Rugby club and Abergavenny Bowls club at Bailey Park. 

The MonLife Sport Development team has been delivering the Sports Leaders PlayMaker award throughout this academic year, engaging with all 30 Monmouthshire primary schools. In total the leadership award has been delivered to a total of 938 Year 5 pupils this academic year, with the aim of teaching pupils key skills such as communication, leadership, organisation and resilience. After the pupils have achieved the award, they assist with providing a positive impact on well-being within their schools. This is the first stage of Sport Development’s leadership pathway, before transitioning into the Year 6 Bronze Ambassador scheme and the Secondary School Leadership academies.

Sport Development have been delivering the PlayMaker award since the 2017/18 academic year, providing pupils in the current Year 5 to Year 10 cohorts with the leadership qualification.  Since the project started in excess of 5,500 children have taken part in the scheme.

Council Leader, Cllr. Mary Ann Brocklesby said: “I am so impressed by the way Monmouthshire’s learners have got involved with the PlayMaker award. It has had a positive impact on almost a thousand young people this academic year, which is incredible. I am proud of every single pupil who has been involved in this, and would also like to thank all the organisations who have come onboard to help us deliver this fantastic programme.”

Chief Executive Officer of SLQ Sports Leaders, Richard Norman said: “We are forever inspired by our PlayMaker partnership with MonLife. For over 10 years now, MonLife has been at the forefront of developing leadership skills in primary school-aged children and is truly investing in the future of Monmouthshire’s children. We know that by building children’s confidence and skills we are giving them the opportunity to become the best future version of themselves. We sincerely hope that in 2033 we will be celebrating 20 years of the MonLife leadership pathway and the achievements of the many thousands of PlayMakers across Monmouthshire that will have benefitted from this programme.”

For more information about the PlayMaker programme, or wider Sport Development initiatives, please visit – www.monlife.co.uk/connect/sports-development or email sport@monmouthshire.gov.uk.

Over £760k funding announced for Monmouthshire’s museums

Monmouthshire museums run by MonHeritage, part of Monmouthshire County Council, have received a welcome boost thanks to the latest funding awards.

Plans to relocate Monmouth’s museum into Shire Hall is a step closer thanks to news that it has been awarded a Development Grant of £349,928 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The welcomed funding will enable the Council to take forward the redevelopment of the Shire Hall as an accredited museum.

An additional £241,697 grant was awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund (Dynamic Collections) to improve cataloguing of the Monmouth Collection and to consult with local communities on stories they would like to be told in the museum’s displays. This work will include displays within the community as well as within Shire Hall.

Conservation work and improvements to the Nelson collection have already taken place. A report funded by the Federation of Museums and Galleries of Wales was produced during 2022 outlining the national significance of the Nelson collection. This has been endorsed by the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. The museum has also worked with Race Council Cymru to carry out two initial workshops relating to  previously under represented topics people would like to see explored relating to Nelson.

Cllr. Sara Burch, Cabinet Member with responsibility for MonHeritage museums, said: “I am delighted that the National Lottery Heritage Fund has supported the plans for the relocation of Monmouth’s museum into Shire Hall. It will help us progress with the plans to make the museum, its collection and future exhibitions even more representative of Monmouth, the county, its history and its people.”

MonHeritage’s museums in Abergavenny and Chepstow have also benefitted from funding. They were recently awarded £173,318 by Welsh Government for the project Researching, re-examining and reclaiming: the heritage and culture of Monmouthshire’s Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority communities. This work will contribute to the heritage goals in the Anti Racist Wales Action Plan. The award builds on work begun at the two museums and will lead to improved interpretation of the collections, better representing their links to slavery, colonisation and empire and acknowledging Monmouthshire communities’ past role in slavery, empire and globalisation

With Race Council Cymru, MonHeritage will host community workshops to explore ways to better interpret the collections. Work with the communities will enable the Learning and Curatorial team to create an activity programme, which is likely to include cultural events, exhibitions and displays in Monmouthshire venues. In addition, community and learning activities will take place in local schools and in the county’s museums. The content will be inspired by the collections and local heritage. 

In Chepstow a £10,000 National Lottery Heritage funded project has just been completed to research and re-interpret the lives of the nurses who worked at the museum when it was a hospital. The exhibition inspired by this project is open until December 2023.

Chepstow museum will also be opening an permanent display relating to the Wye Tour in July. It will include the recently acquired painting by JMW Turner, secured thanks to £76,000 of funding from Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and National Lottery support, Museums Association Beecroft Bequest, The Usk Valley Trust.

To find out more about Monmouthshire museums visit www.monlife.co.uk/heritage/Tags: Abergavenny museum, Chepstow Museum, MonLife, Monmouthshire, museums, Shire Hall

Get ready to Go Wild in Abergavenny this May!

The Gwent Green Grid is hosting a ‘Greater Gwent Goes Wild’ event for all the family on Saturday 20^th May, 2023. The free, nature-inspired event will take place in Abergavenny’s Bailey Park from 11am to 4pm. It will showcase and celebrate all the fantastic work that has been going on across Gwent to promote biodiversity.

Bailey Park is the perfect setting for the event. It’s home to the Monmouthshire Nature isn’t Neat artwork piece, which is located near to the Rugby Club. The mosaic celebrates the humble daisy and its role for pollinators, with an iridescent thick-legged flower beetle stealing the show. As part of the event the artwork will be officially unveiled.

Prior to the event Gwent Green Grid Partnership officers will work with younger children in local schools and community groups, to create perfect pollinator wings. The children will take part in a Pollinator Parade celebrating local wildlife on the day.

Young people from Abergavenny are creating a new mural for the site. It’s hoped that the artwork will be enjoyed by the local community for years to come and its design will celebrate nature that can encountered in the area.

Throughout the day there will be a range of activities for families and people of all ages, including craft stalls and storytellers, as well as plenty of information about environmental and community projects across Gwent.

While at the event, why not help the Gwent Green Grid team build a minibeast mansion from locally sourced and recycled materials. It will stay in Bailey Park after the event, providing a home for a variety of insects. 

Goody bags and freebies will be available to take home. They’ll include seed balls and field guides so the whole family can continue to ‘go wild’ after the event.

Cllr. Sara Burch, Cabinet Member for Inclusive & Active Communities, said: “This free event will be a wonderful way to bring the wider community of Abergavenny together, celebrating the environment. The activities will share information and be good fun as well. I am looking forward to seeing the wonderful work of Abergavenny’s young people and to meeting as many local people as possible on the day.”

Cllr. Catrin Maby, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & the Environment, said: “The work of the Gwent Green Grid in improving and developing the natural environment across the region is so important. Not only does it address the climate emergency, but it has a crucial role to play in improving biodiversity and improving the wellbeing of people who live in those area. I would encourage as many people as possible to make a date in their diary and come to the Abergavenny event, which promises to be informative and enjoyable.”

The Gwent Green Grid team is made up of officers from Monmouthshire County Council, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Newport Council and Torfaen County Borough Council all working  together with Natural Resources Wales, Forest Research and the Severn Wye Energy Agency as well. 

To find out more about the Gwent Green Grid visit www.monlife.co.uk/outdoor/green-infrastructure/green-infrastructure-partnerships-projects/gwent-green-grid-partnership/

Follow the Nature Isn’t Neat trail this spring

Five new nature-inspired mosaic artworks have appeared in green spaces across Gwent, inspiring people to think about the nature we can find in our communities.

The artworks have been developed by the Nature isn’t Neat project, which aims to raise awareness of the decline in pollinators and encourage local action, and create new meadows in towns and villages across Gwent.

This spring, why not try to find all five sculptures to complete the trail. The artworks are situated across Gwent, in Gilfach, Bargoed; Bryn Bach Park, Tredegar; Rogerstone Welfare Grounds, Rogerstone; Fairhill, Cwmbran and Bailey Park, Abergavenny.

Find and scan the QR code on each artwork and uncover hidden information about the plants and pollinators which inspired each sculpture.

Why not tag @NatureisntNeat on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and share the amazing plants and pollinators you find with everyone online?

The artworks were created over the summer of 2022, when Gwent communities were busy designing and building mosaic designs with artist Stephanie Roberts. The theme was to capture the beauty of nature found in local green spaces.

The mosaics celebrate the relationship between wildflowers, pollinators and people of Gwent. Each sculpture is inspired by a local plant and pollinator species, which can be seen in the mosaics.

Monmouthshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment, Cllr Catrin Maby said: “The new artworks are fantastic and provide a lasting testament to Nature Isn’t Neat and the positive effect its principles have had on wildlife and pollinators across Gwent.”

“The selective mowing approach that allows grasses and wildflowers to thrive for longer is supporting pollinators and a diverse range of wildlife generally. To have the community come together to help celebrate this through a community led artwork is truly wonderful.”

This community art project is supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe Investing in Rural Areas and is funded by the Welsh Government’s Enabling of Natural Resources and Well-being Grant.

The Gwent Green Grid team is made up of officers from Monmouthshire County Council, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Newport Council and Torfaen County Borough Council all working together with Natural Resources Wales, Forest Research and the Severn Wye Energy Agency as well. 

For more information about Nature Isn’t Neat visit www.monlife.co.uk/outdoor/nature-isnt-neat/community-artworks/Tags: abergavenny, Gwent Green Grid, MonLife, Monmouthshire, Nature Isn’t Neat, Sculpture Trail