Tidy Minds Tidy Planet was created to support wellbeing, encourage greener everyday choices, and strengthen community connections. We trialled a range of activities and demand was strongest for cookery and gardening, so we have focused our programme around these practical, accessible sessions. Building on this interest, we secured additional funding and developed partnerships with Rhos-y-Fedwen Primary School, Growing Space, and Sirhowy Woodlands Trust. The school has identified a clear need for parents to build confidence with day-to-day cooking, alongside opportunities to improve literacy and numeracy—skills we can embed naturally through recipe planning, budgeting, measuring, reading instructions, and growing food. The school has also requested more intergenerational activities, and cookery and gardening provide an inclusive way for families and older residents to learn together. Alongside our sessions, we are progressing a “library of things” so local people can borrow DIY, gardening, and cooking equipment, reducing cost barriers and supporting sustainable reuse. We are developing this work with the Local Authority and the Blaenau Gwent Food Partnership.

 

This momentum has led to a new phase of the project. We are about to take on the management of a community growing space with raised beds, a wildlife pond, an orchard, and quiet areas for local people to enjoy. With further development, the site will enable us to grow fresh produce to use in cookery workshops, share with local food banks, and make available to the wider community—helping to improve access to healthy food while reducing food miles. Three volunteers are already ready to support this work and we will recruit more, with clear volunteer roles, support, and recognition. Volunteering will be central to long-term sustainability, helping the project remain community-led and resilient beyond the funded period.

We have also identified other community spaces that could be developed with our partners, and we are exploring a community-designed willow sculpture trail for the area to encourage outdoor activity, learning, and local pride. To deliver this next stage well—and to make sure activities are safe, inclusive, and well coordinated—we need a dedicated Project Officer. The Project Officer will secure and manage funding, coordinate partners, plan and deliver sessions and events, oversee the community spaces, and recruit, train, and support volunteers. They will also help us capture outcomes and learning (for example, attendance, volunteer hours, produce grown, and participant feedback) so we can demonstrate impact and continuously improve.