Rhondda Fach Community Garden by Arts Factory

It’s amazing to see how a forgotten corner of an industrial estate can be transformed into a great community asset with the right organisations and people working together.

Rhondda Fach Community Garden is a partnership between Arts Factory and Sunrise Community Garden Group on Highfield Industrial Estate in Ferndale. It’s a local growing project for the community and provides work opportunities for people with disabilities in disadvantaged communities.

In 2020, we awarded £43,000 of funding to Arts Factory for their project as part of our Shared Outcome Request grant.

The garden was completed and opened in 2021 and they’ve recruited Nigel Williams, the Garden Coordinator, built a strong team of volunteers, and have involved hundreds of people from the local schools and communities in the project.

They’ve created an accessible space to benefit the local community. Most of the volunteers have learning difficulties and come to the garden to improve their mental health, gain new skills, feel a sense of belonging and make new friendships.

This film shows how four young men have transformed through helping with the project. Their pride and confidence are boosted by Arts Factory’s great work, whose motto is ‘No more throw-away people.’

As an organisation, we celebrate diversity and inclusion. We were able to fund this project as it met the criteria of our South Central Wales Area Statement themes, ‘Connecting people with nature’ and ‘Improving our health’.

The project has not only provided opportunities to learn new skills by working with nature, but nature has helped them connect with themselves - realising their true potential. It has helped them feel valued and may help them with their dreams and aspirations.