Cross Party Group on Climate, Nature and Wellbeing
Grŵp Trawsbleidiol ar Hinsawdd, Natur a Lles
17:00 – 18:00
10.07.2023
Virtual Meeting over Zoom
Cyfarfod ar-lein dros Zoom
1. Croeso a chyflwyniad
Welcome and introduction
Delyth Jewell AS/MS
2. Cofnodion y cyfarfod diwethaf
Minutes of the last meeting
Delyth Jewell AS/MS
3. Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru
National Botanic Garden of Wales
4. Llysgenhadon Hinsawdd Ieuenctid Cymru
Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales
5. Trafod a chyflwyno gwaith diweddar
Group discussion and presentation of recent work
6. Busnes arall
Any other business and date of next meeting
Delyth Jewell AS/MS
Attendees: Antonia Fabian (AF), Caitlyn YCA (C), Dan Rose (DR), Delun Gibby (DG), Gwenda Owen (GO), Helen Matthews (HM), Ian Thomas (IT), Judith Musker Turner (JMT), Kathryn Speedy (KS), Kevin (K), Laura Haig (LH), Lucy Sutherland (LS), Madelaine Phillips (MP), Martin Burgess (MB), Molly Hucker (MH), Ollie John (OJ), Phoebe Nicklin (PN), Will (W)
MSs in attendance: Delyth Jewell MS (DJ), Ryland Doyle (RD) – on behalf of Mike Hedges MS
Apologies: Heledd Fychan MS, Janet Finch Saunders MS, Mike Hedges MS, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS
Croeso a chyflwyniad / Welcome and introduction - Delyth Jewell AS/MS
DJ welcomed the groups, discussed housekeeping and explained the purpose of the CPG.
C introduced themselves as Caitlin from YCA.
PN introduced themselves as researcher from Cardiff University looking into how green spaces affect wellbeing.
HM introduced themselves as a psychiatrist, board member for the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, and board member for Ty Hafan.
Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru / National Botanic Garden of Wales
DJ welcomed LS from the National Botanic Gardens of Wales to speak.
Presentation by LS:
· The National Botanic Gardens were established as apothecary gardens from in the 1500s.
· The Gardens now have the goal of improving human wellbeing in societal, political, and environmental contexts.
· A national ecosystem assessment calculated that living with a regular view of green space can provide health benefits worth around £300 per person per year.
· The King’s Fund Report in 2016 evidenced the positive impact of gardens and gardening on health.
· The Gardens has 4 major themes: saving plants and fungi, saving pollinators, international conservations, and research and science and society.
· For the last 10 years, they’ve been working to build a health and well-being programme and then deliver it, working with over 200 volunteers and between 9000 and 11,000 members to stay very strongly connected within rural Wales.
· The Biophilic Wales project is about integrating and increasing the wellbeing of people, biodiversity and the environment, some of the recruitment of volunteers to implement this resulted from social prescribing.
· A core part of the project was creating green infrastructure on 40 sites within the Swansea Bay University Health Board estates.
· As part of the project, during Covid, growing packs were sent out to people to grow plants at home and then return them to the Gardens who introduced them to the health board site.
· The project was extended, giving the opportunity to work with more patient cohorts.
· Live camera feeds from the wildlife cameras in the Gardens’ nature reserve site have also been set up on hospitals to uplift peoples’ moods.
DJ opened the floor to questions and comments, LS clarified that the data stating that living near a green space can save £300 per person was from the National Ecosystem Assessment.
JMT requested some more information about how the arts were involved in this project. LS replied that at the moment the arts and culture community wasn’t engaged but the Gardens are looking for opportunities to work collaboratively. HM added that whilst there weren’t formal connections there were links with local artist groups and that the Gardens have their own embroidery and collage groups.
JMT mentioned that as part of their Creative Nature Partnership with Natural Resources Wales, Arts Council Wales are investing in a new strand of their arts and health programme to bring in nature. They’re also going out to a second round of their Future Wales Fellowship.
PN said that they had just created recordings of wildflowers which they would like to put into hospitals and asked which other partners the Gardens were working with. LS replied that it was the Health Board, University and a range of other organisations including mental health organisations. The volunteers came mainly from social prescribing. HM added that the project wanted the communities to take ownership of the green areas in order to sustain them.
Llysgenhadon Hinsawdd Ieuenctid Cymru / Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales
The YCA launched their climate refugees petition calling on the UK government to legitimise the status of climate refugee on July 6th outside the Senedd. C encouraged the group to share the petition within their networks and on their platforms.
DJ highlighted the importance of amplifying young peoples’ voices as they will be disproportionately affected by climate change.
Trafod a chyflwyno gwaith diweddar / Group discussion and presentation of recent work
GOinformed the group that Cardiff University are running a research project on active travel and young people from 12-16, this involves surveys for young people and their parents.
IThighlighted some NVQ level 2 courses run by the Black Mountains College on regenerative horticulture and coppicing.
DJ went through the apologies for the meeting.
OJ updated that Rhiannon Hawkins had a recent climate education conference with 13 different schools and is keen to share the findings with the group in the next meeting.
MH queried whether Jeremy Miles MS was meant to be addressing the group. OJ replied that a date hasn’t been set and that the group will be looking to put together a briefing for his office on the work with young people.
MH asked whether it would be okay for colleagues to join the group. AF responded that the group would welcome new members and requested they sign up using the joining form which will be circulated with the date of the next meeting.
Cofnodion y cyfarfod diwethaf / Minutes of the last meeting
The minutes of the last meeting were approved.
Busnes arall / Any other business and date of next meeting
The date of the next meeting was tbc after summer recess. There was no other business.