Welsh Government Pathfinder Programme - Severn Wye Energy ...

March 2012
Welsh Government Pathfinder Programme
Signs of spring in North East Wales
Heading to work this morning I caught my first glimpse of lambs out in a field – it made me feel like
spring is on its way, which always fills me with inspiration, excitement and hope. I work for Severn Wye
Energy Agency on the Welsh Government funded Pathfinder Programme to support communities to
take action on climate change. I cover North East Wales and get to work with lots of community climate
change projects, and I wanted to share with you two projects that are definitely showing the signs of
spring.
In St Asaph, Denbighshire, a small group of residents have come
together to start a Transition group. They want to create and support
projects that will help develop St Asaph’s resilience to the triple
challenges of climate change, peak oil and the economic downturn.
They have a particular interest in food and using permaculture
methods to grow food for local consumption. Over the last few months
they have been developing links with organisations such as the
Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and Cadwyn
Clwyd, who have put them in touch with a local business with land to
spare. With the boost of having somewhere to grow, the Transition
team are now working to develop a planting plan, recruit a team of
growers and source all the equipment and seeds they will need for a
bumper harvest in the summer.
To find out more about Transition St Asaph and to get involved visit
their website or email tranasaph@gmail.com.
Photo from initial Cittaslow Meeting
Over in Flintshire, the town of Mold has a
well-established Cittaslow group – in fact
Mold is the first place in Wales to achieve
Cittaslow status, which recognises its
progress and plans for further
development around the local
environment, business and produce,
hospitality and community. The Space
and Place group is developing a project
to help reconnect people with food and
the environment through community tree
planting. The group is currently
identifying underused sites around the
town as possible places to plant fruit and
nut trees to both improve the
environment and provide a local source
of food for residents. With support from
Pathfinder, the group is looking for
potential sources of funding and other
organisations who would like to get
involved.

March 2012
The plan is to engage local residents and schools in planting the trees, and to train up a team of
‘champions’ to lead on the care and management of the trees as they grow. Other ideas are
developing, including perhaps a foraging trail, jam making courses, arts projects and Apple Day
celebrations. The group is keen to use local varieties, including the Denbigh Plum and the Flintshire
Gooseberry.
Sophie McKeand, a Cittaslow Mold volunteer, said: ‘This is such an exciting project, it’s exactly the sort
of thing we champion at Cittaslow as it involves a number of local groups working together, and we’re
using community spaces for the benefit of everybody in the town.’
Any group or person interested in getting involved can contact Geoff Collett:
geoffcollett2004@yahoo.co.uk and to find out more about Cittaslow Mold visit the website.
Although both groups are working on food
projects, they are very different – Cittaslow Mold
has the experience and confidence which comes
from having a proven track record of delivering
projects, whereas Transition St Asaph is just
starting out and is building up a group from
scratch. It is a great privilege to be able to be a
part of both groups’ journey and to share their
learning with other groups across Wales.
All over Wales there are lots of active community groups gearing up for spring. The Pathfinder
programme is here to provide support and advice to any group working on projects around food, water,
transport and energy. For more information visit the website at: www.wag-pathfinder.co.uk.
By Ruth Williams – Pathfinder Officer Wrexham, Flintshire and Denbighshire.