Jenny Rathbone AM has praised the work of Cynefin, the national change programme and its achievements in Cardiff.
Since the Cynefin programme launched in 2013, Cardiff’s Cynefin Place Coordinator Luke Rice has helped deliver a range of environmental and community projects in Cardiff, including Shelley Gardens Food Festival, the Environmental Champions Survey and a Community Way Marking project.
Shelley Gardens Food Festival brought together organisations in June including Roath Residents Action Group, Green City Events and Communities First to celebrate the diverse food culture in the area surrounding Shelley Gardens. The Environmental Champions Survey has seen local students audit rubbish problems in twelve streets around Cardiff University Student’s Union. This information will be used support their campaign to keep Cathays’ streets clean. The Community Way Marking Project erected 11 finger posts to direct people to community assets in Cathays and Roath including their nearest library, community centre and parks.
Cynefin is a Welsh Government funded programme that uses locally based Place Coordinators to help improve the quality of life in an area. They work to build productive relationships to break down the barriers between communities and the services provided in them.
Jenny Rathbone AM said: I applaud and celebrate the work of the Cynefin Project in Cardiff. Through bringing organisations together and empowering communities to get active in the changes they want to make, we are already seeing changes in Cardiff. Students in Cathays are some of the people at the forefront of campaigning for cleaner streets while the Shelly Gardens Food Festival identified a whole new group of volunteers and activists”
Other initiatives that the Cynefin project is involved in include a community mural in Cranbrook Street, and development of a community herb garden on Albany road which is free to members of the public to use.
Jenny added “ All this has been achieved without any budget apart from funding one worker. It just shows what can be done by people collaborating together, and is a tribute to the expertise of Cardiff’s Cynefin Place Coordinator Luke Rice.”
