Celebrating Community Resilience: 16 groups in Wales recognised for their achievements by Social Farms & Gardens

Photograph: Mike and Kevin, Down to Zero

Social Farms & Gardens sixth Community Management Awards launches today (20th March 2025) to coincide with the ‘Light Up The Future’ Welsh Government Future Generations Act (2015) 10th anniversary celebrations.  

Managed by Social Farms & Gardens Community Land Advisory Service, the Awards showcase 16 community green space projects from around Wales through short films and images of the projects over the last year.  

The 2025 Community Management Awardees are:  

1. Ardd Cymuned, Llanfechain CiW School (Powys)
2. CF61 Community Gardening Project, Llantwit Major (Vale of Glamorgan)  
3. Cultivate, Newtown (Powys)
4. Dan y Dderwen at Glynneath Golf Club, Glyneath (Bannau Brychieniog/Powys)
5. Down to Zero, Pontyclun and Mountain Ash (Rhondda Cynon Taff)
6. Friends of Coed Gwilym Park, Clydach (Swansea)
7. Gerddi 'Stiniog', Ffestiniog (Gwynedd)
8. Havergardd, Haverfordwest Community Garden / Gardd Gymunedol Hwlffordd (Pembrokeshire)
9. Heol Keir Hardie TRA, Penywaun (Rhondda Cynon Taf)  
10. Moelfre Community Garden, Neuadd Moelfre Hall (Anglesey/Ynys Mon)
11. Trefachan Community Garden, Aberystwyth (Ceredigion)  
12. Parc Seymour Playing Fields, Penhow (Newport)
13. Safle Mynwent Eglwys St Aelhaearn (Gwynedd)
14. YMCA Neath Community Garden, Neath (Neath & Port Talbot)
15. Y Banwen Community Garden, Canolfan Maerdy (Neath & Port Talbot)
16. Yr Ardd Wyllt a Choedlan Cymunedol, Penygroes (Gwynedd)

The Awards acknowledge the accomplishments of volunteers in gaining access to green spaces for their community projects, as well as their hard work in transforming public and private land in their communities.  

The ‘Light Up the Future’ day is being described as a ‘national moment of shared endeavour’ around the Future Generations Act and Welsh Government are asking people to share things that they have done differently because of the Act.  

That’s why Social Farms & Gardens felt the community action around the Community Management Awards Cymru matched the Light up the Future celebrations so well.  

Each Awardee is encouraged to complete a resilience plan and sign up to a ‘Wellbeing Pledge’ demonstrating how their project actions fit within each of the goals of the Act.  

Each project receives a plaque and certificate and this year, for the first time, they will receive a personalised Wellbeing Pledge Poster which they can share everywhere - with funders, decision makers and anyone else that is simply interested in their project.  

In 2025 the Awardees include a community managing a tree nursery on a golf course, a community in a marginalised area managing a large park and several groups taking on unloved spaces and transforming them into thriving community gardens.

All the community projects focus on bringing people together and providing skills for the future. Many share locally grown food in their areas and nearly all provide improved areas for biodiversity and general wellbeing. They are now important hubs for community activities in the outdoors, where previously there was very little to enjoy.

Lucie Taylor, Coordinator of the Community Land Advisory Service Cymru, said:

“It's exciting to showcase our Awardee community projects on the National Day of Celebration around Light Up the Future. It will hopefully give these amazing communities the distinction and recognition they so richly deserve”.  

Look out on our website, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for the launch of the  2025 Awards film.