12/11/2024
Six Cardiff primary schools are set to have their playgrounds transformed intonature-rich learning environments as part of the Healthy Playgrounds programme.
Delivered in partnership with environmental charity Trees for Cities and the Council, Ysgol Y Wern, Greenway Primary, Ysgol Glan Ceubal, Springwood Primary, Pencaerau Primary, and Trelai Primary will benefit from the scheme which integrates the National Forest for Wales into school grounds, allowing children to enjoy greener, healthier places where they can foster a lifelong connection with nature.
Among these additions are "Tiny Forests" planted using the Miyawaki method, a Japanese approach that accelerates forest growth and biodiversity in urban areas.
Developed in collaboration with Earth Watch Europe, each Tiny Forest includes 600 trees, with the potential to attract over 500 species within just three years.
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: "Trees for Cities has partnered with Cardiff schools since 2020, introducing additional tree planting, shaded areas, and food-growing zones to school playgrounds, enhancing air quality and providing hands-on learning about organic gardening.
"The partnership supports our commitment to promoting the use of outdoor space for learning and play and has provided invaluable benefits to the health and wellbeing of children and young people, enabling food growing to be accessed across the entire school, and encouraging healthier diets and good eating behaviours for the future.
"The initiative also feeds into our wider One Planet Cardiff response to climate change that has seen new a solar farm delivered, new cycleways and low-carbon council homes built, and more than 80,000 new trees planted across the city in just three years as part of our own Coed Caerdydd urban forest project.
"The planting of these new Tiny Forests in six Cardiff primary schools will help support our local aim of increasing tree canopy coverage in Cardiff to 25% and continue to grow the connections between our Coed Caerdydd project and the National Forest for Wales."
Kate Sheldon, CEO of Trees for Cities said: "We are thrilled to receive this support from the Coetiroedd Bach Grant. This funding allows us to expand our efforts in Cardiff, transforming school playgrounds into greener, healthier spaces. Every child deserves access to trees, and we look forward to working with more schools to foster closer connections to nature."
Funded by a £240,000 grant from the Welsh Government's Tiny Forests (Coetiroedd Bach) scheme and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this project also includes workshops designed to deepen pupils' understanding of trees' roles in climate resilience.
Pupils and staff have responded positively to the Healthy Playgrounds programme and through feedback many have said that they feel happier and safer in the new green spaces, while school staff report that these areas have brought a sense of calm and excitement. For one pupil, the Healthy Playground has become a place of refuge, saying, "Every time I'm frustrated, I can go to the Edible Playground."
As the new Healthy Playgrounds are completed, Trees for Cities will continue supporting these schools through workshops and training, empowering them to nurture and monitor their woodland areas through 2025. This lasting green change brings both immediate and future benefits to Cardiff's younger generations, fostering a lifelong connection with nature and environmental stewardship.