Interview by Kath Jenkins

Continuing our series of interviews connecting with other organisations in Wales which share our core values of waste reduction, skill sharing and community cohesion, I recently met up with David Williams, volunteer Director of Llais y Goedwig. Llais y Goedwig is a network organisation connecting community woodlands in Wales including Blaen Bran, near Cwmbran, which David has been involved with for over 20 years.

I was keen to find out more and started by asking David how Llais y Goedwig’s and Blaen Bran’s activities result in waste reduction, one of our key aims at Repair Cafe Wales (RCW) as we like to repair things rather than throw them away:

“We always use and reuse where practical and no piece of wood goes to waste if we can help it. We repurpose donations which are given to us such as a shelter and old chairs and we take part in green woodworking using foraged wood for making spoons and benches. In Blaen Bran we made log and stick reindeer one Christmas and have held craft workshops to make wreaths and stars from willow.

We – as with many groups in Llais y Goedwig – use traditional methods and even make some of our own equipment from repurposed wood such as the shaving horse I made which we use for green woodworking.”

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David with a sign at the Llais y Goedwig annual community woodland Gathering hosted by Blaen Bran in 2013

I was eager to find out more about how Llais y Goedwig promotes skill sharing, another of our prime objectives at RCW. Our visitors are invited to sit with their volunteer repairers, COVID-19 restrictions permitting, to watch and discuss the repair, enabling skills to be passed on:

“Many community woodland groups hold craft sessions and pass on traditional skills such as spoon carving and willow weaving. We enjoy running tree identification events which also explain what different trees can be used for. For example, we had a go at making oak gall ink by collecting the  galls from oak trees (created by the tree in response to parasitic wasps, whose larvae eventually bore their way out) and adding natural arabica  gum and copper sulphate (’vitriol of copper’). We didn’t initially have the expertise to do this, so we looked up the process online, and it worked well. We are very pleased to be able to make the type of ink which would have been used in medieval times and that we, as a group, now possess that knowledge.

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David demonstrating the shave horse at the Royal Welsh Show in 2019

We are really fortunate as Llais y Goedwig has a great network which means we have a very wide skillset to pass on traditional skills. This includes forage walks with the Gwent Fungus Group as well as planting orchards of heritage cider apple varieties. Not only do we learn how to plant the trees, but how to look after and identify them. We have clear signage for visitors to find the trees with such wonderful names as Byford Wonder and Pig-y-Afal. In Blaen Bran we have planted 65 of these trees in a new orchard area in our 100 acre woodland – having networked with other groups. Some of our members have been on orchard management training and others on courses to learn how to make cider for when the trees bear fruit.

Our willow craft events are popular, and we also teach our volunteers how to use our hand tools properly.  We have also hosted school groups and scouts for tree planting days”.    

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Budgies Camp

Although David had already given many examples of how Llais y Goedwig promotes community cohesion, which RCW’s pop up sessions aim to do by inspiring and connecting local residents from different backgrounds, I was keen to find out more about this marvellous project:

“Our woodland near Cwmbran is open to everyone of all ages. We hold many inclusive events in our roundhouse shelter. The shelter itself was created a few years ago by a group of about 20 whose ages ranged from 8 to 80. It consists of a wooden frame which we made from larch poles cut in the wood, and then placed a parachute over the top for shelter from the sun and rain. We’ve held craft events and storytelling as well as offering the venue to others such as for forest school training.

We also organise walks to learn about local history and how the woodlands have been shaped by our industrial past. We can even see the remains of early coal bell pits from as long ago as the Middle Ages. Learning from our past, I think, adds to community cohesion.  

In fact, I can’t see how we can have a community woodland without involving a community, it’s not possible to have one without the other. Owners of woodland often approach Llais y Goedwig to find out how communities can get involved in their woods. We also support new groups to establish themselves.  It is good to involve people of all ages. Children come and play and discover the outdoors, collect seeds and plant them in pots and watch them grow. At Blaen Bran we have also facilitated the planting of memorial trees by bereaved families”.

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David leading a tour of the woodland  at the Llais y Goedwig annual community woodland Gathering hosted by Blaen Bran in 2013

This led me on to my final questions regarding governmental policy which did mean that RCW was unable to hold public events for a number of months, although we are thrilled to be up and running again now. During the restrictions we streamed virtual repairs which can be watched here, and we also offered a drop off and pick up collection in Cardiff. The woodlands are, of course, outside, so I wondered in what ways Llais y Goedwig’s activities were restricted:

“More people have been using community woodlands across Wales for exercise which is fantastic. We do encourage visitors to take care of their environment and not to litter, so in Blaen Bran we provide litter pickers to regular walkers to help keep the area tidy.

Llais y Goedwig have moved our skill-sharing events online and have more events running this month. Further details are here.”

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Budgies Camp

So, if you’ve been inspired, as I certainly have, and would like to learn how to make medieval ink, a reindeer or forage for edible mushrooms, why not have a look at Llais y Goedwig’s website. You can also use this interactive map of community woodlands so you can find a community woodland near you!

Join us next time to find out more about another Welsh organisation which shares our core values.