MaesNi Environmental group, awards, updates, and healthy homes for nature.

In the middle of Maesgeirchen, on the edge of Bangor, behind the community hall building, sits a quiet and thriving green space, it sings with the presence of bees and native bird song and is a sanctuary for nature providing an essential home for biodiversity and community wellbeing. This space has grown from humble beginnings, but through the determined efforts of a local community group, it has been able to develop into a successful community growing project, making sure that community health, wellbeing, and a focus on biodiversity take centre stage at the heart of the estate. 

The success of this and of many other green spaces throughout the estate are a result of the continued efforts of the wonderfully creative MaesNi Environmental group. whose work has both addressed biodiversity decline and enhanced wellbeing through nature on the estate.

The work of the group has been more widely recognised in the form of winning two awards, the Enillydd Gwobr Clas Cymru Award, awarded by Social Farms and Gardens and a second award from Keep Wales Tidy, the Community Transformation award.

Recent projects for the group have included installing their second Keep Wales tidy pack on MaesG hill completed in March this year and planting groups of trees around the estate with the support of the local young residents through the early half of the year.

In addition, the group has recently brought in a new Community Environmental Officer in the form of Rob Parsonson. He joins the group from a varied background in youth engagement projects through skateboarding and arts projects, and previous formal Geography teaching at Coleg Menai. He says since joining the group he’s been inspired by the incredible volunteers within the group and their ability to build from scratch and inspire each other with a sense of belonging and shared commitment to achieve their goals of improving the area’s environment and lift their own and other residents happiness through engagement with nature.