I recently ventured into the Foothold Cymru Community Garden in Llanelli.

This amazing garden is tucked-away in a small corner of an industrial and commercial area and is very easily missed, but that is the magic of the garden; evidencing that nature can flourish anywhere, regardless of the location.

There are several seating areas within the garden that offer quiet, reflective spaces to enjoy the serenity of the garden. On entering the garden, I felt an immediate sense of Wellbeing; the garden was alive with colour and insects busily pollinating the volunteer-planted vegetables and flowers, and, with the assistance of the Merlin app I was able to identify and listen to the abundance of birds that make the garden their home.

I found a charming peaceful corner of the garden to enjoy the ambiance and my hot-chocolate from the adjacent Un1t 7 café.

The tranquillity of the community garden enabled me to easily tune-out the sounds of the near-by traffic and enable me to chill. A lovely excursion from daily life.

The Community Garden project was initiated in 2019 and was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund for four years. The Garden is currently reliant on donated seeds and seedlings from local residents and seasonal supermarkets’ clearances. Initially, the Garden had one member of staff with several supporting volunteers who worked on the planting, watering, and harvesting. The Garden is currently maintained by volunteers; I am, however, informed that additional volunteers are always welcomed.

There is also an outdoor cooking area which is frequently used by local schools

There are currently no plans to create any additional Community Gardens, but the Machynys Garden has been extended with the addition of an apple orchard, raised beds and a small sensory garden. 

The produce grown in the Garden is used to stock the adjacent Foothold Refill Store and Community Pantry.

The Machynys Community Garden won a Green Flag Award in 2024.  

I am grateful to Foothold Cymru for the information and photographs

of the initial stages of the Garden’s creation.