Muddy Care Phase 6.
Talybont…a sustainable community
A muggy, overcast morning. The weather looked like it was in for the day with a possibility of rain. This wasn’t going to get in our way though.
Sunday 27th June, we were told by email from the week before that we were meeting in Talybont for the first week of our last phase on the Muddy Care long-term outdoor education rehabilitation programme. Due to Covid restrictions, we could not proceed with our usual meet-up in Talgarth and catch a minibus down. This wasn’t a problem. We, as well as Claire and the participants individually drove our cars down to Talybont where we met at the village hall.
Once down there and a few faces started appearing. The usual protocol commenced. Before you knew it we were all chatting to each other about how we’d been and preparing for the day ahead. Shortly after Claire would arrive, accompanied by her father and two ladies.
We went for a sit down on a patch of grass by the orchard, by the village hall, overlooking the local playing fields. The email that Claire sent to us earlier in the week also explained we were going to be talking about communities (getting involved/ volunteering). Claire spoke to us about the benefits about this and the positive affect it can have our mental and social health.
Ceri & Hayley, the two ladies from the Brecon Beacons National Park started chatting to all of us about the work that had been taking place in Talybont over the last few years. One of the ladies also lived in Talybont.
Ceri spoke about the changes they had experienced over the last few years. For a small village in the middle of Powys, it was good to hear how bonded the community was. Lots was done. Environmentally mainly. It’s quite the bit of tourist hot spot too. So, footpaths were built. Several of them were running alongside the local canal running into the nearby woodland. Many trees were planted. Apple trees everywhere. There was a large playing field by the village hall and the area was surrounded by these trees.
Hayley, on the other hand spoke to us about the different types of funding and what else they (the village) had applied for. At the village hall there was a local mini bus. To help others within the community who could not drive, to pop and get groceries. All electric with electric charging ports in place. There was a playground there as well. It was so nice to see so many parents with their children local and tourists, using the facilities in place.
This clearly was a community that cared. And given the size of it, it was pleasant to see. It made me feel as if I was from there. I would be proud to live here.
After we had a small bite to eat, we went for a gradual stroll around the village passing through the woodland I mentioned earlier. The weather that day was quite muggy. Once we were in amongst the trees it was hardly noticeable. June has been a strange month for it’s weather. Lots of rain and lots of sunshine. The growth we saw in the wood that day was mind blowing. A sea of green and purple, purple being the number of wild flowers there were. A few bees around as well. Early Ceri spoke to us out the importance of bees and insects in our ecosystem. The girls said the wood had been thinned out to help wildlife thrive and for growth. Nothing looked touched. All very natural looking.
After we left the wood, we could then see how many trees had been thinned. There was a lot of sawn timber just outside the wood. This confused me though a bit. I thought there’s no way all that timber has come from that wood. Like a said before, the wood didn’t even looked touched.
Ceri explained after, that the two-mile-long footpath we had just been on, that the shavings on the footpath were from the trees in the wood. Nothing was going to waste. I’m a big fan of that. If you can reuse it, then do so.
Our walk was drawing to an end as we passed by the old train station. I was in one sense happy we were nearly there due to fatigue, but sad. There was clearly something about this place that got to me. Such as happy place to be. It’s fair to say this was a very therapeutic day out.