Restoration work on a hospital field is protecting local biodiversity

A once unloved grazing pasture at Morriston hospital in Swansea is being transformed into a versatile community space used for health, wellbeing, and ecological restoration.

Cae Felin is a 7.6-acre field that is being restored and renovated into an inclusive and functional space, where the health and well-being of wildlife and people can thrive together. Cae Felin Project manager, Simon Peacock said, “Our team of volunteers are working hard to make the best use of the natural landscape to create a space where people can reconnect with nature and wildlife can flourish.

“We have restored natural habitats, including a marshy grassland, wildflower meadow, and hedgerows, while adding habitat in the form of wildlife ponds, bird and bat boxes, and a conservation orchard. It offers local wildlife a sanctuary to thrive, while also creating a functional area for growing food, as well as a place for both physical and mental wellbeing.

“Since establishing and restoring some of the natural habitat in the field we have welcomed toads, house martins, bank and field voles, lizards, beetles, and swallows back to the area. As the warm weather approaches and further restoration work is done, we hope to encourage an even greater selection of wildlife and mammals to return to the area.”

At Cae Felin initiatives to establish a more equitable local food system include weekly volunteer sessions that are held every Saturday where anyone is invited to come along and enjoy the space and help with the planting, growing, and harvesting. Midweek sessions are now also held every Monday and Friday to conduct wildlife surveys and citizen science species monitoring.

In addition, they also run horticultural workshops on site to share skills such as pruning, grafting, growing, harvesting, and cooking food. While, school children are similarly welcomed to visit the garden, to teach them about conservation and biodiversity. The team recognises that this project contributes towards the wider UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) to deliver meaningful progress for people and the planet by 2030.

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs Huw Irranca-Davies said: “Climate change is threatening our plants and wildlife. We need to do everything we can to protect them. By putting nature at the heart of climate action we can make positive changes.

“It’s wonderful to see initiatives like Cae Felin making use of unused land and restoring it to its natural beauty. It’s amazing to see the impact it has made on not only the environment, but the people involved in the project too.”

As part of the five-year plan for the site, Simon, and the team, have developed the vegetable patch to promote the benefits of improving access to nutritious, locally grown fresh food for all sections of the community.  A longer-term goal would be to provide fruit and vegetables for patient meals at the hospital. Cae Felin are also working in partnership with the brain injury service at Morriston Hospital, with the intention of developing the wellbeing and therapeutic areas around the site. Following a successful pilot with the hospital, it was demonstrated that Cae Felin could offer brain injury patients the chance to provide holistic neurorehabilitation through engaging, hands-on agricultural activities.

Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Zoe Fisher has been among the Brain Injury Service staff who have helped patients recover using holistic approaches at the farm.

Zoe said: “Our patients have a variety of activities to choose from. Some may engage in light gardening tasks like weeding, mulching fruit trees, transporting wood chips uphill with wheelbarrows.

“Others might prefer to spend their time by the stream, embracing a moment of reconnection with nature.”

These activities not only stimulate cognitive functions and emotional resilience but also foster physical health through gentle, nature-based exercise.

At a recent visit to the site, the Well-being of Future Generations Commissioner Derek Walker added, “With innovative thinking, the Well-being of Future Generations Act gives us permission to do different things. Putting the restoration of nature at the heart of everything we do in Wales supports a new generation of farming in which local communities grow their own fruit and vegetables. This in turn helps to increase production and reduces pressure on the need to import.”

Since 2019, Welsh Government has committed to act on climate change. It has been working with organisations like Natural Resources Wales and Keep Wales Tidy to encourage collective action to create a cleaner, greener Wales.