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A pop-up community orchard is coming to Senghenydd this weekend.
The orchard will be at the Old Noddfa Chapel site, between High Street and Stanley Street on Saturday September 16.
It will open between 10am and 5pm, with apple pressing, plant swapping, and map-making among the activities.
The orchard will remain in place after the pop-up event, until mid-October, for the community to use.
It is being funded by the Aber Valley-based Undercurrent Arts Group, whose project, Undercurrents – On our Doorstep, received more than £100,000 funding from Arts Council Wales earlier this year.
Additional funding and support has come from Caerphilly County Borough Council, the Integrated Wellbeing Network Gwent and Aber Valley Community Council.
The aim of the orchard, which is part of Undercurrents’ ‘Gather’ project, is to provide a space for the community to connect, as well as highlighting opportunities for food production in the area.
The orchard has been designed and created by architect-artists Amanda Spence and Rhian Thomas, alongside volunteers from Undercurrents.
Amanda and Rhian said: “Having spent time over the last couple of years getting to know the place and communities in the Aber Valley, we have enjoyed designing and producing this exciting pop-up space.
Gather is a chance to test some of the ideas we’ve been developing for outdoor spaces which promote wellbeing, food production and social interaction.
“We can see lots of potential in a strategic approach to reimagining and developing a series of forgotten outdoor spaces in the valley, and hope this will be the first of many projects to come.”
Not-for-profit visual arts group Addo Creative is working alongside Undercurrents as part of the project.
Dr Sarah Pace, curator and co-director of Addo, said: “The project is a great opportunity to take stock of the green community spaces the Aber Valley has to offer and to explore how arts and cultural activity may further enhance these and impact positively on people’s everyday lives.
“This is especially important in light of the climate change emergency and the UK’s growing cost-of-living and mental health crises, and as we emerge from lockdown and Brexit and try to find new ways to live sustainably in a rapidly changing world.”
Contact Dr Pace on sarah@addocreative.com to get involved in the project or find out more information.
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