News review of the year

MaesNi Environmental group focus: Creating spaces for nature and community wellbeing.

Rock painting by Nicola from Taff Rocks

Building Communities Trust’s Policy Officer, Matthew Brindley, describes why supporting communities to develop their strengths and assets should be a top priority for Government and decision makers in 2022.

Invest Local groups made sure that this would be a summer to put smiles on people’s faces after a difficult year and a half for their communities.

Vin Murtagh from grassroots community action group Together for Colwyn Bay talks about campaigning from the ground up with communities to make good things happen.

Building Communities Trust’s Policy Officer, Matthew Brindley looks back at the election campaign for Strong Welsh Communities and outlines how the new Welsh Government and Senedd can help develop the strengths and assets of local people and community-based organisations.

Here is the recording of our Strong Welsh Communities Hustings event.

As we enter the “decisive decade” for battling climate change, Grant Peisley from Community Energy Wales, Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig (DEG) and YnNi Teg sets out why the new Welsh Government need to prioritise support for community-led energy projects to achieve a stronger, greener, fairer future.

Matthew Brindley, Building Communities Trust’s policy officer outlines why it’s so important the next Government recognise, respect and invest in Strong Welsh Communities and their organisations.

Lloyd Jones from the Bevan Foundation outlines why, as we recover from Covid, it may be a fitting time to give communities greater say and control of the local assets they care about.

Elin Hywel from Cwmni Bro Ffestiniog outlines why the next Welsh Government needs to recognise Welsh Communities as a huge, largely untapped resource of wellbeing and resilience and key to sustaining and developing local economies in Wales.

Invest Local group Together for Colwyn Bay launched a film series in January 2021 to celebrate the informal network of creatives living and working locally.

Noreen Blanluet from the Co-production Network for Wales sets out how Government can, and should, meaningfully involve citizens and communities in the co-production of public services in Wales.

In the first of our two launch events for the Strong Welsh Communities manifesto and campaign, we shared the manifesto and discussed how community groups can get involved in the campaign to build healthier, happier, more resilient communities in Wales.

The Community Responses to Covid report was produced by People & Work in collaboration with Llechi Glo A Cefn Gwlad, which looks at how community organisations across Wales responded to the first lockdown, as well the support from local authorities and CVCs.

This webinar was the launch event for two reports on the state of our communities, aiming to highlight and celebrate the strength of communities in Wales.