Successful Flat Holm History Talks at Belle Vue Community Centre Thanks to Partnership Working

05 April 2024

Recently, our Age-Friendly Vale and Value in the Vale Officers worked with Belle Vue Community Centre and Cardiff Council to deliver free talks for members of the public about the history of Flat Holm Island.

After the grand opening of Belle Vue Community Centre in Penarth last year, the Community Centre Manager, Nicola Pangano, has been keen to promote the centre as a community space for local residents to utilise.

After connecting with Age Friendly Vale Officer, Sian Clemett-Davies, about whether any local older people’s groups would want to use the space for meetings, both Nicola and Sian secured a weekly residency for MHA Communities Penarth.

Nicola also connected with Value in the Vale Officer Lianne Young, and adult education, who also offer weekly classes from Belle Vue.

Impressed with the community space, Lianne and Sian organised an exciting talk for local people, including Value in the Vale volunteers, the Age Friendly Network and the Vale 50+ Forum.

Working with Sarah Morgan, Engagement Officer from Cardiff Council, they organised and ran two free talks about the ‘Built Heritage and Natural History of Flat Holm Island’, a landmass well known to locals which can be seen just off the cost of Penarth.

Flat Holm: A Walk Through Time is a National Lottery Heritage Funded project in association with Cardiff Harbour Authority. One of the aims of the project is to bring the island to the communities that may be unable to access Flat Holm.

The event was well-attended, the majority of whom had not visited the community café before. Big Fresh Catering also supported the event by providing a free Welsh cake with every purchase of a hot drink. Value in the Vale volunteers were also able to use their rewards to redeem a free coffee, as Belle Vue Community Centre is one of the many partners of the Value in the Vale scheme.

Positive feedback was received from the attendees, who said: “Very interesting, wish it could’ve lasted longer” and “it was superb, I really enjoyed the talk, very much.”

Age Friendly Officer, Sian, said: “The talks were a great opportunity to bring people together in a social setting and offer an opportunity to learn and connect over a cuppa. Locals enjoyed reminiscing about visiting the island and hearing the fog horns over the sea before they were silenced in the eighties.”

Value in the Vale Officer, Lianne, said: “Having linked with Sarah on previous projects within our sheltered schemes, we were pretty sure these talks would be of interest to the local community and our volunteers. Not only were the talks a success, but in holding them at Belle Vue, we were able to offer our volunteers the opportunity to redeem a free coffee via their accounts. We look forward to building on this partnership work in the future.”

Belle Vue Community Centre Manager, Nicola, said: “The event gave us the opportunity to showcase our venue as a community café and meeting space. We were excited to welcome customers who had not previously visited Big Fresh at Belle Vue.

“Not only did we see increased sales on the day, but we have also welcomed back our new customers along with their friends and family meaning that more profit can be invested back into the business and the Vale of Glamorgan’s schools.”

MHA Communities Pernarth are a local group for older 55s. With their new residency at Belle Vue, they will be offering activities, refreshments, and lunch provided by Big Fresh Catering every Friday. You can find out more on their website.

The Age Friendly Vale Network is working to make the Vale a better place for people to grow old and age well. If you would like to collaborate with the Age Friendly network on a project or want to learn more about what they do, contact Sian for more information at snclemettdavies@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk . Sian also works closely with the Vale 50+ Strategy Forum, which provides a voice for older people in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Value in the Vale is a charity which supports volunteers across the Vale and offers a rewards programme for volunteers for their valuable time and expertise. To earn rewards or to register as a partner organisation, please contact Lianne at hello@valueinthevale.com .