Grangetown Cardiff

SHORTLISTED FOR COMMUNITY NEWS AWARD 2020 AND 2019 - WALES MEDIA AWARDS

This is a community website for Grangetown in Cardiff, highlighting people, business, community activities, local news and things to do in the area and linking other websites and blogs.

This voluntary project - in connection with Grangetown Community Action - is the free, independent, online presence of the long-running Grangetown New s community paper, which has been distributed to 6,500 local homes at least twice a year for 40 years.

E-mail us on grangetowncardiff@yahoo.co.uk if you'd like to help, are local or would like to send any contributions for inclusion, or wish to advertise. Also if you'd like to be included FREE in our DIRECTORY,

You can also follow us on Twitter @grangecardiff and look for Grangetown Community Action on Facebook. We have a growing number of followers and are keen to encourage a social network to promote Grangetown community events, activities, issues, businesses and organisations.

Grange Pavilion keys handed over

It was a key moment (pardon the pun) when the Grange Pavilion team finally took charge of the £1.8m building this week.

The project has been taking shape despite the months of coronavirus lockdown. Although the current situation put pay to a spring opening party, there has been real excitement to see the finishing touches to the eye-catching development.

Grange Pavilion will be run as a charitable incorporated organisation, with partners including residents, Grangetown Community Action, Cardiff University and Cardiff Bay Rotary Club.

We asked project manager Lynne Thomas to bring us up to date, as Grange Gardens celebrated quietly its 125th anniversary.

What is left to do?

We still have around six weeks of work to go, including painting and decorating, sealing the floors, installing the induction loop, laying a timber floor in the blue room, installing Wi-Fi and finalising the landscaping.

When are you hoping to open the doors?

We hope to open mid-August, depending on the Welsh Government regulations for use of indoor spaces / community centres.

Obviously to start with things may be different but any idea how rooms can still be used, will events be possible? What about the cafe?

At the moment, events will not be possible, however smaller workshops may be viable, once regulations allow indoor activities. We are in the process of recalculating room and building capacity and adapting our policies to include social distancing measures and increased health and safety measures.

We are working out our one way systems, for example, and where we will have sanitation stands, and we are preparing to order signage. We are fortunate in that we have a large outdoor space that can hopefully be used as an extension to the café, and we will work strictly within guidelines and closely with the café manager to ensure that all regulations are met.

Can the outdoor area be used?

Yes, when we officially open, within the guidelines for use of outdoor spaces.

Can people still inquire about booking? Yes, by all means! Sophey (manager Sophey Mills) is available to take queries on bookings and volunteer opportunities. Please email any queries to Sophey@grangepavilion.wales. Read more about the pavilion and the rooms for hire at grangepavilion.wales and follow us on social media for regular updates. @grangepavilion on Facebook and @Grange_Pavilion on Twitter.

A reminder what will be in the Pavilion:

The Pavilion plans to have three rooms for hire - the smallest Blue Room, intended as a quiet space for yoga and peaceful activities.
The largest Yellow Room will be a "messy" space, ideal for arts, crafts, playgroups and kids parties.

The third Green Room was intended for events, lectures, theatre productions and larger group activities. This also has an annexe or "chill-out" area off it.

Meanwhile, as well as a gallery/exhibition space near the entrance, the Hideout Cafe will return, led by Moseem Suleman, who trialled it in the pavilion's last guise, promising they would be putting on events as well as refreshments - and a teetotal bar. There will also be toilets.

TELL US YOUR LOCKDOWN EXPERIENCE!

You've got until the end of the weekend to help with Grangetown Community Action's online survey of local residents - to share your local experiences during Covid-19 lockdown.

The aim is to find out how people lived, worked and shopped during the last few months - and help shape local community services and amenities in the future.

It is completely confidential and no data will be shared. The more people we hear from, the better! Thanks to all who've helped us so far.

Take the survey here - it only takes a few minutes. You can also answer the survey in Welsh here. Or you can respond in Urdu by clicking this link.

Grangetown heroes in the frame

Two Grangetown "heroes" of the pandemic have had their portraits painted.

Ali Abdi and Dafydd Trystan are among 10 people chosen to have portraits by artist Nathan Wyburn displayed around Cardiff city centre in shop windows.

Ali founded the Cardiff Muslim Volunteers Group, supporting the community with cultural and language support and providing food packs to 120 people who were isolating in lockdown. Alongside his full-time job, he also coordinated the Ramadan Relief Covid-19 Appeal where the group delivered 150 food parcels to families every Friday during Ramadan.

Dafydd helped set up the Grangetown Covid network of volunteers, which coordinated 160 people to offer help to people who needed to self-isolate with medication and groceries. He also uses running to promote wellbeing in the community during lockdown.

Adrian Field, executive director of city marketing and business body FOR Cardiff said: "These unsung, hardworking heroes are keeping Cardiff’s NHS staff fed, improving community’s wellbeing, studying while working on the frontline, keeping people in isolation fed and keeping us safe."

"These 10 people, and the hundred plus that were nominated, have been so generous with their time and have really rallied to support their local communities through the delivery of a wide range of services."

What's your image of Grangetown in lockdown?

The Grangetown Art Trail project have set a deadline of the end of July for you to capture your experience of lockdown. Whether a photo or even a painting which sums up Grangetown in this strangest of times. Got to Twitter @ArtGrangetown and submit your contribution by 31 July, and see some of the terrific examples so far.

Beautiful shot of Grangetown in Lockdown. Share your snaps with us! #grangetownarttrail https://t.co/ii7CcQl7Df
— Grangetown Art Trail Helfa Gelf (@ArtGrangetown) July 3, 2020

Objections as Tramshed plans stay on the table

Controversial plans for an office and apartment block in the Tramshed car park remain on the table, despite a promise by a developer to pull them.

DS Holdings - behind the original renovation of the Edwardian building - had said on Twitter "that it will not build in the car park of The Tramshed whilst the current occupier resides".

It follows fears from the venue operators - and tenants of the developer - that its future would be in "severe jeopardy" if the carpark used for trucks and tour buses was built over.

The original decision to halt the plans was welcomed as "incredible news" by the venue's management, who said they were "thankful to DS Holdings had taken the decision to support the venue and the Cardiff music scene as a whole. It makes us proud to work with them as developer and landlord."

However, local councillors within a few days revealed that the proposals had still not been officially withdrawn.

In a further twist, Simon Baston, director of DS Holdings, objected to a separate application by Tramshed venue to extend their 3am late licence for 30 events a year - which has to go to the city's planning committee. He said "many" residents, including those living inside Tramshed, had experienced "huge and significant issues" with late night drum and bass club nights.

The developer's proposals for the flats and offices had attracted a large number of objections from residents and gig-goers but chiefly from the operators of the venue itself.

In the absence of their withdrawal, local councillors have now added their official objections to a long list.

They called it "overbearing," "out of character" with the Tramshed's Edwardian heritage and claimed it would "tower over" the existing building. They also have parking and traffic concerns.

Other objectors include Cardiff South and Penarth MP Stephen Doughty, who said he shared the concerns of the venue operators, and Kevin Brennan MP and Mark Drakeford MS, who represent neighbouring residents in Riverside.

Other opponents include the Cardiff Civic Society and musician Gwenno Saunders.

Caroline Archer, Tramshed’s general manager, said: "Not only has Tramshed become a significant presence in Cardiff’s music scene and local community, it has provided jobs for hundreds of people, including bar staff and sound technicians.

"We pride ourselves on providing a safe environment for people from all sections of the music community to enjoy their favourite bands. We need a planning system that works fairly, not by kicking us when we are already down due to the Covid-19 lockdown."

Caroline, who lives in Grangetown, also said it had a "positive impact on the community and surrounding businesses".

She also thanked the local community and wider public and politicians for rallying to support the venue.

A petition has also opposed the controversial plans - which first surfaced about three years ago. The proposals were put forward again, reduced in scale, and were expected to go to the council's planning committee in the next few months.

The 16 work-live and apartments - down from the original 28 - and 3,000 square feet of office and business space (scaled back from 7,500 sq ft) would have been built above a ground floor entrance and loading bay - with the developers saying tour trucks using the Tramshed venue would be able to reverse in to unload.

The venue is run by TEG MJR, now an Australian-owned but still Bristol-based venue operator and event promoters. But they have been at odds with their landlords, who renovated the whole Tramshed building but then put forward this second new-build phase.

My concern is that the commitment is ‘while current tenant is there’ the entertainment industry, particularly those who rely on large gatherings, are n a precarious situation. So I wouldn’t celebrate just yet.
— Lynda Thorne (@LyndaT48) June 14, 2020

TEG MJR said the venue employs around 100 people a week working at its events and uses companies to supply security, cleaners, booking agents, beverages in turn providing jobs to over more than people.

"The current plans put these jobs at risk and a great deal more locally considering the economy around the venue," it said in a statement earlier this week, ahead of the deadline for objections.

Local councillor Abdul Sattar is on the planning committee so is unable to get involved in development issues in his ward which he then has to make a decision on. But his fellow ward councillors called the proposals an "overdevelopment of the site which will be of detriment to our community".

There are also concerns about traffic and a threat to the heritage Edwardian frontage of the original building.

The venue is asking people to support its application to continue with late night licences for club events. The 20 3am licences a year had been granted for a trial period. Now the Tramshed asked people to email a letter in support for planning application 19/03210/MJR and mark for the attention of the case officer James Hansel: developmentcontrol@cardiff.gov.uk.

Talk Club opens for men

A talk club for men is being set up in Cardiff to provide a support network for men to find ways of keeping mentally fit.

It's based on a recent idea, set up on Facebook in Bristol, "to remind all men that they are not alone, that other men feel exactly the same way they do, and if we share our feelings we can become mentally strong."

Andy Lewis, from Grangetown, became involved after losing a friend in 2019, while a song Soul To Save was recorded by another friend in his memory and to raise money

Now Cardiff Talk Club has been set up, on Facebook initially, but they hope to start face-to-face meetings once lockdown restrictions allow it.

"We’re looking for the word to be spread as far and wide as possible, and also looking for a venue to host Talk clubs in Cardiff," said Andy.

Talk Club is open to anyone, as long as they’re male. All the rules and regulations can be found on the main Facebook page. and on the website Follow the #TalkClub and #SoulToSave hashtags.

At time of crisis, we turned to each other

By Dafydd Trystan

Grangetown has quite a few super-heroes during the pandemic - not least Spiderman for bringing some fun around the streets

What connects Calon Lan, Ramadan and Spiderman? Now, that would be one of the easier questions in The Grange pub quiz, as many of us in Grangetown will have heard Calon Lan, seen Spiderman and may have been supported by Ramadan Relief.

Each of these elements have been part of a Grangetown Community response to the Covid-19 crisis.

When it became clear that some form of lockdown was on its way, a group of residents came together to plan out our response. Its almost incredible now in pre-lockdown days to remember that some 20 of us met together (albeit with quite a few hand sanitisers) to plan for the weeks to come.

Councillor Ash Lister was a key part in coordinating these efforts and after that first meeting we had six willing volunteers ready to lead their ‘sectors’ - myself – Dafydd, Corrin, Sian, Yvonne, Lizzie and Nia.

In each sector the coordinators would organise volunteers to support neighbours with shopping, prescription collection or other tasks. I was allocated the ‘red sector’ and within no time 25 volunteers had signed up to help. We prepared multi-lingual posters, detailed instructions for volunteers and printed 5,000 leaflets to be distributed door-to-door and through the pharmacies. By the time lockdown was announced most houses had received a leaflet and a number of shops displayed the posters.

And then the calls begun. Lots offering help, quite a few saying how much they appreciated knowing that someone was there if needed, and some asking for help. By now some 150 people have been helped – some of those on a ongoing weekly basis.

But we still have more volunteers (some 175 at last count) than people seeking help. Now you may think that is a problem, but for us as coordinators it meant we could say confidently to our neighbours – we have the organisation and capacity to help – whatever comes next.

And we can still say that confidently today, if there is a second wave the Grangetown volunteers are ready to help. Likewise, if you need help with anything today, tomorrow or in the next few weeks – don’t hesitate to give the Grangetown volunteers a call.

We’ve also managed to have some fun along the way. I wrote on the Facebook page at one point that we should remember the old protest song Bread and Roses, and do what we could to have some fun as well as sort the basics. Within days our very own superhero had offered his services – and for weeks now Spiderman has been entertaining the children of Grangetown (young and old). If Gareth could pass on our thanks to Spiderman we’d be very grateful!

Grangetown has also seem some national TV attention with our singing – or more accurately Dorset Street’s singing. Here two professional singers who happen to live within earshot of each other have been entertaining their neighbours with a repetoire that started with Calon Lan and has evolved week be week. A big thank you to Trystan and Casi.

There’s also been a number of local food projects offering either free or low cost food to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it. Ramadan Relief, coordinated by Mos provided hundred of food parcels locally during Ramadan – and even led to Mos’ first interview yn Gymraeg on S4C – da iawn Mos! Lauren at Wild Thing has also been runnning a project with ready to cook meals delivered regularly.

A few week in to the lockdown I watched the film Contagion, where communities reacted to a quickly spreading virus by turning on each other. I’m very proud that in Grangetown we turned, in a whole range of different way, to help each other out – with everyone playing their part.

I really hope that this will be the basis for ever more community activity in the years ahead – and who knows, hopefully a party to celebrate all the volunteers when this is all over!

Thank you - Diolch!

Grangetown Covid Volunteers: How to get help

A network of 175 neighbourhood volunteers are still available in Grangetown to help people who find themselves in self-isolation at home during the coronavirus pandemic over the next few months.

The neighbourhood has been split up into different areas - where volunteers are operating in their immediate locality or street.

It has already helped 75 people and carried out at least 150 errands. The network can help people of all ages who may be stranded at different periods with no family within easy reach to help with the very basics, like picking up shopping, medicine or walking the dog.

Coordinators organise each area - and match volunteers with requests.

Dafydd Trystan, one of the organisers, said: "We've got volunteers in place across Grangetown who can help with simple tasks, like getting milk, or picking up a parcel or prescription."

We're still happy to hear from volunteers - and if you can email grangetowncardiff@yahoo.co.uk and include your address, email, contact number, if you have a car or a DBS check in place, along with any language skills.
Volunteers will be sent a guide, which is also available below here and includes advice on how to arrange errands with neighbours and best health practice.
Don't worry if you've not heard yet from anyone, coordinators will be getting in touch and your offer is valuable.

Measures are being taken to keep the data safe of all participating - details of the policy can be found here.

This is the map for how each area has been divided for volunteering.

For those needing assistance, see the map above and then the coordinators can be contacted as follows:

Area A - North East Grangetown (Taffs Mead) - Dafydd Trystan Davies, 07966 705890

Area B - North West Grangetown (Saltmead/N Grange)- Corrin Hanlin, 07770 722254

Area C - Central Grangetown (west of Corporation Road) - Sian Jones, 07765 955836

Area D - Taff Embankment (east of Corporation Road) - Yvonne Connolly, 07969 766423

Area E - South Grangetown (Avondale Rd and Channel View/Windsor Quay area) - Lizzie Swaffield, 07813 892482

Area F - City Gardens - Nia Evans, 07970 355848

Local food businesses helping out

Vegetarian Food Studio - as well as still operating a pick-up and delivery service to customers - has been helping out local health workers.

The award-winning restaurant in Penarth Road has so far provided 2,450 hot meals to hospitals in Cardiff, including staff at the University Hospital of Wales.
Owner Jim Patel said: "We're doing our bit for the city - and for hard-working people too."

Meanwhile, Wild Thing Cafe in Clare Road - although closed - has started a community food delivery service. It has already raised £3,000 to help provide two deliveries a week.
People can donate online to help cover delivery and food costs, with staff volunteering their time.
"Every delivery contains food for three meals a day for three days," says owner Lauren.

The project has also bought essentials for families such as nappies, formula and baby wipes.
"We have also been providing Llamau with 40 prepped nutritious meals which they are distributing to their service users to add to their food box they already provide."

One of the volunteers Becky Kelly said: "‘I would say that the proactive nature of our group has offered reassurance to the local community.

"I was also relieved to know that there were 12 volunteers in my street alone which put my mind at ready when thinking how I might manage if I was unable to go out at all.

"In the early days of lockdown I supported a neighbour with shopping and, as the household were all in self-isolation, they were really relieved to know they had a support network to call on.

"On a personal level, I have loved getting to know new people in my local area and really hope we can maintain the network of volunteers once this is all over."

Councillor Ash Lister, co-chair of Grangetown Community Action, said: "Coronavirus has come as a shock and we are all wondering what will happen next but we want to build on a strong community spirit and ethos in Grangetown."

Dafydd Trystan added: "Quite a few volunteers used their one exercise a day to deliver leaflets - please be assured that volunteers are following strict guidelines on handwashing/hand sterilising as they leaflet.

"We've also had a few requests for picking up medicine - and where we can help we have. The big message is across Grangetown and Wales there's no need to be fearful, your neighbours are there to help."

The coordinators include local people with experience in social services and working with the homeless. Volunteers will be able to help with day-to-day things which can't be covered by usual agencies and departments, likely to be at full stretch over the coming weeks. Full public health advice will be taken.

Meanwhile, one of our volunteers is a bit of a super-hero! Spiderman has been travelling around the neighbourhood keeping kids of all ages - and adults - amused and offering to help, as only really Spiderman can. If you draw or paint a picture, show it in your front window, and you'll get a wave.

All subject to whether he has a call to save the world, of course...Look out for the #GrangetownSpiderman hashtag and follow Whoisthatman? on Twitter

Click on the image above for full instructions and health advice for volunteers and residents requesting help - PDF document

The network has also issued health advice for both volunteers and residents they will be helping, so assistance, like shopping and deliveries, can be done safely. You can read the PDF document here. It also covers other arrangements, including paying for any shopping.

Further advice/links:

We're asking anyone who wants to help - who doesn't live in the immediate Grangetown area, to think about helping a local group. There is a Cardiff Mutual Aid Neighbourhood Groups list here - and more are being added all the time.

The Grangetown/Leckwith Covid Network is on Facebook here

The Muslim Volunteers Group is on Facebook too

Click here for the online portal to book a coronavirus test in Wales

If you are after green recycling bags or have waste - please order online or via the council waste app. Grangetown Hyb is currently closed. There is a useful list of links to Cardiff Council services during coronavirus here.

Fortnightly general waste (stripy bag/black bin) will resume from June, with the first in Grangetown from Tuesday 16 June. Recycling and food waste collections will be weekly.

The Bessemer Close recycling depot is reopening from Tuesday 26th May but by appointment only - you have to register to book a slot and residents have a maximum of 12 slots a year.

The council also offers help and support for people who are self-isolating and have no family or other support, or are unable to afford essential provisions. Call the advice line on 029 2087 1071 or email: advicehub@cardiff.gov.uk See also the Volunteer Cardiff website for more information of where you can get help and support from.

If you want to do a solo litter pick in your street, contact @TidyGrangetown via social media.

Some Grangetown businesses are involved in online deliveries or operating under different opening hours but the position is fluid. You can check Cardiff Delivers.com if you want to use a local business.

Please email grangetowncardiff@yahoo.co.uk - or Grangetown News and Events on Facebook if you can help in any way with volunteering.

See also the Grangetown and Leckwith Covid-19 Mutual Aid Network Facebook group and there is a Share Cardiff link to other local groups here.

Local surgeries

Please keep up to date with changes in appointment arrangements at local surgeries:

Saltmead Medical Centre: 107 Clare Rd; Clare Road Medical Centre, 148 Clare Road Grangetown; Grange Surgery: 150-152 Clare Road also at The Health Centre Cambridge Street; The Corporation Road Surgery, 4 Corporation Road. Grangetown Medical Practice: Bishop Street and Grangetown Health Centre, 45 Cambridge Street

Latest Public Health Wales information on Coronavirus (COVID-19)