Annual Review 2024-25

At Coeden Fach we are happy to report another successful year growing native trees and hedgerow plants, whilst delivering regular volunteering sessions, welcoming a wide variety of people to experience the joy of good
fellowship and fresh air at our beautiful Clyne site. In addition, we have also worked with local schools and other community projects, teaching new skills and enjoying the fruit of their hard work in the outdoors.

Download a copy of the Coeden Fach Annual Review 2024-25 in English.
Download a copy of the report in Welsh – Adroddiad Blynyddol Coeden Fach 2024-25.

Working with our Funders

A team of volunteers from the DVSA did a wonderful job of the hard work of digging out the pond. There was a lot of soil to dig and move in order to create the different levels and shelves favoured by the various wildlife we wanted to attract. Our marvellous regular volunteers then finished the excavation, lined the pond and created a dipping platform.This will ensure that we, and any visitors, will be able to use the pond safely for pond dipping with school and youth groups. We’ve already seen evidence of amphibians and insects in the pond, and we’re looking forward to seeing it thrive in the spring.

They also gave us a picnic bench and some wildflower turf which has enabled us to develop the area of our teaching orchard and enhance a biodiverse habitat near our new pond.

This is a real benefit, demonstrated on one school visit where the majority of the school, over 120 children, were able to take part. On another occasion, we were able to visit a school where the children took part in a seed collecting session in their school grounds.

Our volunteers come from every part of Gower and Swansea and have included volunteers introduced to us by Barod, Cyfle and SASS. Volunteers have helped us with seed collecting, stratification and planting, moving small saplings into larger beds and lifting into heeling-in trenches ready for planting. We were also able to provide a seed collecting walk in Bishops Wood with Coeden Fach volunteers.

Clyne Site

Our Clyne Gardens site continues to develop apace, once again being granted the internationally recognised Green Flag award, a benchmark for well-managed green space. This year, our 53 volunteers contributed 1350 hours, using some of that time to create a pond with dipping platform, new heeling-in trenches and drainage from our potted fruit tree irrigation system. Thanks to the new drainage system, we were able to create an ephemeral pond near the recently completed permanent pond, enabling us to attract a wider range of insect, bird and mammal species.

In addition to volunteers from the local community and those introduced to us by local support groups, we were pleased to welcome several corporate volunteer groups. The DVSA, Travelhouse and E Surveyors all enjoyed sessions at site, working on the pond and moving young trees into the nursery beds. Feedback from all three groups was excellent; everyone had a lot of fun and completed really useful work. Solar panels have been installed on the shelter, which produce electricity for lighting and hot water for handwashing.

A new information board has also been installed near the Clyne Gardens entrance to site, giving visitors to the gardens more information on Coeden Fach. A very successful community juicing day was held in October, when nearly 50 volunteers and members of the public joined us to helped make fresh apple juice, which they were able to take home with them. The remaining juice was frozen for us to enjoy warmed and spiced with cinnamon at our Christmas get together with volunteers and Clyne Garden grounds staff,

Community Planting and Tree Sales

Tree sales this year were numerous and varied, being able to supply a number of organisations with native trees. We were able to provide 500 tree whips which we also planted at Hafod Primary.

A collaboration with University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Carmarthen saw us deliver 30 hedgerow packs, along with potted trees which were planted by first year students in the autumn. Twenty four hedgerow packs were also sold to the Wildlife Trust, and we sold over a thousand trees to a local landscape gardener.

Six more trees were planted at Manselfield Green with support from Lyndon Jones (Bishopston Community Council) and local volunteers. We were also please to see a Coeden Fach apple tree planted at Cae Felin by Chief Executive of Swansea Bay Health Board in celebration of her 70th birthday.

Working with other Community Groups

We are delighted to work with local and national organisations, including Coeden Fach site coordinator Kate Davies who joined the Gardeners’ Question Time panel funded by Mumbles Community Council. Our open day was held alongside the Clyne in Bloom event. We also host Forest School at our site and have worked with the Orchard Project to provide a winter fruit tree training session. We were pleased to be invited to join the National Landscapes in their tent at the Gower Show, and also the Environment Centre at the Green Fair.

Training

The community orchard adjacent to Coeden Fach was a perfect location for members of the public, our volunteers and members of the Clyne grounds staff to learn more about winter fruit tree pruning with Janina Hadley of the Orchard Project.

Thank yous

Without the 53 volunteers and the 1350 hours that they gave us last year, Coeden Fach would not exist. Massive thanks to all our volunteers for giving us their time, energy and enthusiasm to help at site and in many other ways. Thanks also to the DVSA, Travelhouse (Mumbles) and E Surveyors for choosing to spend their enrichment days with us. Special thanks to Anna from Cyfoeth y Coed for donating the apples that allow us to hold juicing events.

We are also indebted to our funders. Their support enables us to provide these opportunities for the broad community, delivering benefits for all.