How a community garden revived a Welsh mining town
In Forgeside, where many residents have limited access to garden space, the transformation of a deprived patch of grass has brought biodiversity and strengthened the community
Forgeside RFC Community Garden at a glance:
- Type of garden: community garden
- Location: South West Wales
- Budget: £68,000
- Dimension: 435 square metres
- Implementation phase: three weeks in spring 2022
- Key features: outdoor classroom, pizza oven, polytunnel, raised flower beds, seating areas, pollinator-friendly planting
How the wellbeing garden began
The disused lawn near the rubgy pitch in Forgeside, before its renovation
The club asked for a once rubbish-strewn site next to their pitch to be transformed into a plant-filled oasis that could enhance
Budget and process
The design was inspired by the heritage of Forgeside. In the 1790s, the town was a farming community and soon became the centre of the Industrial Revolution. However, despite being declared a World Heritage Site in 2000, it has since become a deprived area.
Thanks to the £50,000 grant received, Swansea-based landscape architect Victoria Wade developed the disused patch of grass near the rugby pitch into a garden designed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding industrial landscape. Materials such as steel and oak, which weather naturally over time, were used to avoid a look that could feel too polished or new.
Victoria created a welcoming space with a pizza oven and dining area for social gatherings and to help address food poverty. The idea was to provide the community with a garden where everyone could socialise and learn, including an outdoor classroom for youth groups and school children to develop horticultural skills. A polytunnel and raised beds were built to enable the community to grow fresh food for the local food bank.
Rusty steel planters now brim with fiery red, yellow and orange flowers such as dahlias, helenium and sunflowers, reminiscent of the blazing furnaces that once burned in the town. A focus on pollinator-friendly planting also helps to boost local wildlife, with plants carefully chosen to withstand the extreme weather typical of the area.
The delivery of the garden, including design, surveys, build and planting, cost £68,000. The project received an additional £15,000 over the course of three years to support the activities promoted within the community.
Lessons: what challenges did you encounter?
Building the garden in just three weeks was a huge challenge. “The landscapers worked tirelessly, putting in long days and working weekends to deliver the garden on time,” said Joe Wade of Victoria Wade Landscape Architecture. “We also had to fabricate the steel planters within a very short timeframe to meet the deadline, which meant drawing on all of our local contacts.”
During the process, the architects also realised that previous work had been carried out on the site. “We encountered a shallow land drain running across the site that would have been too costly to divert or excavate further, so we made slight adjustments to the levels and dimensions of the design to accommodate it.”
Initially, the architects were also concerned about the weather, as low temperatures and even snow are not uncommon in April in the Brecon Beacons. Fortunately, the team experienced excellent conditions throughout the build.
Lessons: what went well?
Flower beds and pizza oven in the Forgeside RFC Community Garden
“The hard landscaping has weathered just as I hoped,” said Victoria Wade. “The steel planters have rusted beautifully and the oak seats have silvered in the sunshine. It already looks as if it’s always been there. It was always my intention to create a space that didn’t feel too shiny or new, but one that blends perfectly with the surrounding industrial landscape. Seeing it in all of its rusted glory makes me very happy indeed.”
Impact of the wellbeing garden so far
The opening of Forgeside RFC Community Garden in 2022
“We’ve felt so cut off over the last few years, from the outside world as well as each other, but this garden is now the beating heart of the community,” said Geraint Reynolds, Chair of Forgeside Rugby Club.
Mixed generations now meet there for seeding, planting and cooking. “I was blown away by how well established and full of life the space has become,” said designer Victoria Wade. “This is all thanks to the hard work of the amazing community, who have taken real ownership of the garden and tend to it with such care. It was really special to see the space being used just as we had envisioned and I was in awe of the beauty and abundance created by the community.”
