21 July

Valleys Regional Park – Partnership event

On 6th of July, we hosted an event at Redhouse Cymru in Merthyr Tydfil — to celebrate the achievements of the VRP partnership; recognise the roles our partners play in delivering our ambitions for the Valleys; and look ahead to a greener, healthier future in the South Wales Valleys.

Welcoming a variety of partners — from Discovery Gateway representatives, to organisations such as Gwent Wildlife Trust and Groundwork Wales — the event helped us to reflect on the progress that our alliance has made across the Valleys over the past few years.

Phil Lewis (VRP Lead) opened the event with a warm welcome and outline of the extensive progress made across the region — alongside our in-motion plans to secure VRP’s future support of local landscapes and communities. Attendees then heard from a mix of key partners, contributors, and supporters alike — including:

Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport and Chief Whip, Dawn Bowden MS

One of the key topics discussed was how VRP and partners can help the South Wales Valleys prosper through combined effort, commitment and a shared environmental vision — particularly as VRP looks to the development and pilot of Nature Service Wales. These discussion points provided ample opportunity for nature-focused networking during lunch!

Overall, it was a fantastic event — and an important one too. After all, the bonds and partnerships formed and strengthened through events such as this are key to securing the future prosperity of the South Wales Valleys — for generations to come.

VRP Lead, Phil Lewis, said: “Among the key things we’ve taken away from the event are stories from individual people in attendance; stories about how the landscape interaction has helped them, and how their organisations and audiences have benefitted from VRP support.

“It’s provided us with lots of ideas for how we can use partner working to further enhance the programme in years to come — ensuring that benefits are seen across the whole region.”