Waterfall Country Community Engagement Plan 2020
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Waterfall Country Community Engagement Plan 2020 – 21 Introduction Historically there has been a lack of communication from stakeholders to the community regarding the projects and initiatives underway to tackle over-tourism issues. This has led to misunderstanding and resentment from the community who were unaware of the work undertaken, the different responsibilities of the different organisations or how they could contribute. Communication within the area has been better since Facebook groups have been used, but not all residents use this platform and often do not get the information they require. Engagement between partners will encourage cooperative working and community involvement. The key partners in this area are the Community Councils of Ystradfellte and Pontnedfechan Council and Penderyn and Glynneath Councils. The newly set up community group Proactive Pontneddfechan is proving invaluable for engaging with residents and identifying and managing events and celebrations to bring people together. Newsletter A quarterly newsletter, which can have additional shorter publications if needed, has already proved a successful way of disseminating information from stakeholders and within the community about the projects underway and has helped to promote community led initiatives. This is leading to greater understanding about the complexity of delivering these projects, the different responsibilities of the authorities and stakeholders involved information and stories about the natural environment and heritage a platform for community groups and members to advertise events and share activities. Online Survey – Connection to Nature COVID 19 has provided a unique environment where residents are forced to stay within their locality and exercise there. In normal circumstances the area would already see a high number of visitors but during the pandemic the lock down has prevented this. Has this had an impact on how residents view and connect to their local environment? Has this made them appreciate their area more and if so in what way? The survey (run in collaboration with a PhD student from Cardiff) is designed to capture the change if any in connection and understanding that residents have to their local natural environment. From these results themes may be seen which can identify future environmental community led projects. Maintaining Footpath Infrastructure/Warden and Environmental Work Parties Due to lock down and footpath closures the essential footpath maintenance that would usually be carried out has not been able to be undertaken. It is anticipated that there will be a heavy work load for the BBNPA Wardens and volunteers to take on to ensure that all paths are in a suitable condition to be used by residents and visitors once the footpath network is re-opened. Historically there has been a feeling of dissatisfaction towards the damage to footpaths caused by high visitor numbers, but it’s not well known how limited in resources are the Warden/volunteer teams. Community involvement in re-opening footpaths and taking on environmental projects would: expand the ability to successfully manage the area Create opportunities to work alongside Warden teams to increase skills in basic land management Give the opportunity to feel included and take ownership in caring for the natural environment. develop stand-alone community work parties if there was sufficient uptake with support given from BBNPA for training as necessary. Litter Picking Events and Litter Team Litter is a perennial problem in Waterfall Country due to high visitor numbers and lack of understanding of the environment they will be visiting and that it is a wild environment with limited facilities including litter bins. Understandably residents often feel frustrated and angry with the litter in the area including along footpaths and feel powerless to prevent this. Though the Wardens and volunteers regularly litter pick, the size of the area and limited resources mean that this may not happen as frequently as needed. Outside the National Park in Pontneddfechan litter is often a problem as this falls outside the remit of the Warden/volunteer teams. Due to the size of Waterfall Country it is often difficult to spot littering/Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) issues, whereas residents who are in the area may well be able to be more reactive. An organised Litter Picking Team comprised of residents would: enable the community to regularly organise litter picks across the whole Waterfall Country be able to focus on areas where are there are high levels of littering. have a supply of correct equipment and PPE available give advice on health and safety work with the Police on best practices in how to deal, or not, with problem members of the public as well as how to report any ASB they may well witness.. Proactive Pontneddfechan have been in discussions with Keep Wales Tidy to become a litter picking hub where residents and visitors can borrow litter picking equipment. A core team was identified prior to COVID – 19 and the team was going to launch at the postponed Activity Day. This initiative will be re-started as soon as it is safe to do so. Verge and Village Planting Projects Regular verge maintenance is done by the councils but the area has little sense of its own identity and currently the green spaces are largely covered with grass. This has little value to the residents and provides minimal habitat for wildlife. The waterfalls, the gorges and their surrounding environment are outstandingly beautiful and the communities that surround them should be able to reflect this in their environment. An area-wide planting scheme has been identified and funding being sourced from various bodies including the Keep Wales Tidy’s Local Places for Nature Scheme. Approval has been granted from the local authority and BBNPA planners. The project will: develop wildflower verges to increase biodiversity and support pollinators plant fruit trees and other native trees seasonal planters in all communities to raise the profile of the area and encourage a feeling of ownership develop areas for planting edible gardens that can be accessed by all If an area looks cared for then this encourages respect and care for that area by all who use it. SWOAPG (South Wales Outdoor Activity Provider Group) Community Activity Day There are tensions between the residents around the village hall and elsewhere in Pontneddfechan and the outdoor activity groups who use the Sychryd and Mellte for gorge walking and Dinas Rock for climbing. At the height of the season the area is often full to capacity with issues such as littering, toileting, inappropriate parking and Anti Social Behaviour seemingly attributed to these groups. It is felt that these groups damage the environment, disturb residents and bring no benefit to the community. South Wales Outdoor Activity Providers Group (SWOAPG) was set up about a decade ago to address these issues and has developed a code of conduct that all members using the area must adhere to. This is continually updated and developed in partnership with the main landowners, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and BBNPA. This has led to better behaviour from organised groups in the area and a minimising of the impact of these activities on the environment. A community event led by SWOAPG just before the start of the season each year would: give residents a free taster of the activities that many people come into the area to experience enable SWOAPG to publicise how they work and the measures in place to protect the community and environment let residents know the point of contact for any ASB they witness work in partnership with Proactive Pontneddfechan, BBNPA and other groups to run other activities that are less active to ensure inclusivity, but all activities encourage people to connect to their environment. It is hoped to organise this event at the before the start of the 2021, season COVID permitting. Community Events – Seasonal Celebrations There is living memory of regular community events and festivals in Pontneddfechan and Ystradfellte which brought communities together. Without regular events there are little opportunities for people strengthen the communal ties and get to know each other. This has led to fracturing of relationships between communities, difficulties in organising cooperative working and lack of opportunity to celebrate the unique history, heritage, myth and environment of the area. Proactive Pontneddfechan held a very successful Christmas fayre and parade on 1st December 2019. This brought together many people from across the village, especially those living at either end who have little chance to interact with each other. The success of this highlighted the desire from the community to find other opportunities to celebrate on a more regular basis and for this to be a community focussed event and promoted to visitors. There is much interest in events such as: myths and storytelling due to the high quantity of local legends history and heritage events focusing on the industry in the area music and food seasonal celebrations such as Christmas, May Day, Summer Festival. oral history – collecting memories and images and producing a digital story. There is a potential to pilot this project to see if there is interest in undertaking an much larger project. Residents would be given the opportunity to learn skills in oral history recording to more easily facilitate capturing residents who may be reluctant to speak to someone they don’t know. Waterfall