Pontsticill ‘delighted’ to scoop Wales Tidy Award
COMMUNITY groups, schools and organisations who have gone the extra mile to improve their local environment have been celebrated at a national awards ceremony.
Green pioneers from across Wales were honoured at the prestigious Tidy Wales Awards which were held in Cardiff this week and hosted by S4C presenter Sian Thomas and Welsh rugby legend Tom Shanklin.
The annual awards recognise groups who work tirelessly to make Wales a better and greener place.
Cabinet Secretary for the environment and natural resources Lesley Griffiths AM attended the ceremony and said: “Clean, safe, communities benefit everyone.
“Everybody has a part to play in looking after their local environments so that they are conserved and enhanced for future generations.
“The groups shortlisted for this year’s Tidy Wales Awards are all worthy finalists that have improved the quality of life for people in their communities and I’d like to thank them for their hard work.”
Ms Griffiths presented the trophy to the overall winner, Pontsticill Community Group, which has gone from strength to strength since it was established in July 2015.
The project now has around 30 regular volunteers who take part in a range of community projects to improve their local environment.
Ann Williams, from Pontsticill Community Group, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the overall winner of the Tidy Wales Awards. The project brings people together and has generated fantastic pride in the village.
“We are a rural community, and the feedback we’ve had from everyone involved is that they no longer feel so isolated and volunteering has given them a real sense of purpose.”
Pemrokeshire tourism company Top of the Woods Camping and Glamping won the Green Key award. The retreat has been passionate about sustainabil- ity and has worked hard to promote green activities to its guests. It has also planted trees, improved access to the local Ffynnone Woodland and managed wildflower meadows to improve the local environment.
Friends of Morgan Jones Park and Community Allotments in Caerphilly, which recently received a Green Flag Community Award, won the Sustainable Futures award. The team showed local residents how to grow their own produce, created a new wildlife and pond area, and planted pollinatorfriendly wildflowers which have boosted the area’s biodiversity.
Lesley Jones, chief executive of Keep Wales Tidy, said: “The Tidy Wales Awards celebrates people of all ages taking part in a wide range of green initiatives, all with the common goal of making Wales a better and tidier place.
“They are an inspiration and a great example in their community. We would like to thank them for their hard work.”