Our Environment

AG (Environmental)

AG Environmental

We're a volountary action group (set-up and guided by AG Cyf) engaged with community growing initiatives. Our aim is to develop the community growing arm of Afon Gwreiddiau Environmental (AGE) and to promote the financial, physical and emotional well-being benefits to our community by providing opportunities to grow & supply fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers & associated locally grown products.

What's it all about?

Focusing only on growing, is not what the group is about.

It is about community ownership of land and assets.

It’s about the management of those assets to provide economic and health benefits for the community.

One plan involves managing land to provide food for the community to both sell and feed itself, another is to provide employment, trade, skills from the land and buildings surrounding us, utilising our farms and forests.

We need to showcase and sell all the wonderful things we can make to sustain our richer, healthier lifestyle.

Inspired youth

The Youth Parliament have adopted reducing plastic waste, recycling / up-cycling as one of their first priorities.

The insight our young people showed regarding their future environment was inspirational. It is something that has motivated the Afon-Gwreiddiau members to be the best they can be and do the best they can do.

Scratching the surface of opportunity just isn’t enough.

The collective commitment to putting this proposal forward has exceeded our best expectations.

The River

For many years flooding has been a threat to our village.

Derelict boarded houses seen daily is a constant reminder of the loss of those streets. Instead of fighting the river our aim is to work with the natural flow of the river to produce an artificial lake that better utilises our natural resources, if we had actually constructed the community gardens when we said we would (28 years ago), todays natural wildlife inhabitants would have been special - very special to see. The FiT from that time from the accompanying panels and Hydro would have ensured long-term stainability.

Project Skyline

Through our networking event at Project Skyline

Afon-Gwreiddiau / River Roots has attracted a wider panel of experts able to work with us in the community. We've introduced well resourced litter picks, community wood working activities and Future Homes renewable workshops.

These in particular provide an understanding of off-grid power, enabling young people in particular to use their imagination to design their own renewable solutions.

We are not alone

Our development partners include:-

Keep Wales Tidy
Egg Seeds Education
Peddle Power
Active Woods
The Wildlife Trust
Renew Wales
Hearts & Minds
HMP Prescoed
HMP Parc
Lovells Community Greenfield School
Castle Oak
Elite Enterprise
Pentre Solar
Train & Gain
Celtic Dragons
Wales Co-Op
Wernick

Are all active community partners who are interested in our five main projects.

All our projects promote a sustainable / zero carbon living approach.

All promote a produce local "buy local" ethos.

The story so far

Building on our foundation and implementing our first minutes / actions we have established ourselves as

* A constituted group

* Elected Officers and an acting Project Management Board.

* Set up a bank account with the Credit Union

* Acquired appropriate insurance

* Approached private land owners re use of derelict land,

* Set up social media and digital platforms

*Collaborated with groups and tutors to produce an environmental Youth programme for our school holidays.

Met previous growing groups in

* Nixonville, * Mount Pleasant *Lena House Merthyr Vale

*Bryngolau *Aberfan Central * Cottrell Street,

Where we have started to plan their involvement in the central garden and their own area based plots of land.

* Plans to reintroduce the horticultural show are underway.

We are opening-up member recruitment to the wider community.