Project continues to grow with double awards success

PICTURED: Swansea Bay consultant upper gastrointestinal surgeon and director at Cae Felin Will Beasley and founder Amanda Davies with the awards.

A regenerative agricultural project on health board land has harvested two awards stemming from its growing success.

Cae Felin Community Supported Agriculture, located near Morriston Hospital, has been recognised for transforming over seven acres of land owned by Swansea Bay University Health Board.

They have also been hailed for creating inspiring green spaces which are being used in particularly innovative ways.

The project, which has created new employment for people within the community, has transformed the land with help from volunteers – including health board staff. So far, they have planted over 1,500 trees and vegetable crops, built raised beds and established a rainwater harvesting and irrigation system.

The awards come in the form of internal and external recognition, having won the Sustainability in Healthcare accolade at the health board’s annual One Bay Way Staff Awards.

PICTURED: The project has proved a big success for nature, crops and staff wellbeing.

Cae Felin also won the Innovative Development of Green Space at a Health Site award at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare’s ‘NHS Forest 2024 Integrating Trees and Green Space into the NHS’ conference.

The benefits from the farm are wide ranging. From holding regular events, workshops and volunteer opportunities, it has been praised for working with brain injury patients who visit the site as part of their recovery. Staff groups have also made trips to enhance mental health and wellbeing, and it as has engaged local school children in growing projects

The development of the site has also seen vegetable boxes sold to members from crops grown on the land by volunteers and staff.

Looking forward, Cae Felin hopes to expand its reach by establishing new partnerships and offering additional programmes for schools, groups and individuals across the Swansea Bay region. With continued support it is well positioned to remain at the forefront of the growing movement towards sustainable, health focused agriculture.

Its success recently attracted the attention of Shona Brown, Senior Trade and Investment Adviser based at the British Embassy in Madrid, who visited the project – along with the health board’s solar farm – and identified them as perfect examples to help organisations achieve net zero.

Cae Felin founder Amanda Davies, who is also Head of Foundational Economy at Welsh Government, praised the project’s impact.

She said: “Cae Felin is a testament to what can be achieved when health services and communities work together towards a shared goal of sustainability and wellbeing. Not only has Cae Felin proven to enrich the lives of patients, staff and the wider local community, including schoolchildren, by providing access to growing nutritious food, it has also offered space for people to reconnect with nature and each other.

“I am proud of the recognition that Cae Felin has received, and I believe it serves as a model for how health and agriculture can intersect to benefit entire communities. 

PICTURED: Cae Felin produces its own crops, and offers a vegetable box scheme to members.

“Cae Felin is an excellent example of innovative thinking in health and environmental policy, combining the benefits of green spaces with initiatives that tackle key public health challenges such as mental health, social isolation and access to healthy and affordable food.”

The success of the Cae Felin project comes during the United Nations’ climate change summit – known as ‘Conference of the Parties’ (COP), being held between November 11-22.

Will Beasley is a consultant upper gastrointestinal surgeon in Morriston Hospital, and a director and grower at Cae Felin.

He said: “Winning both awards so close together is excellent recognition of the achievements at Cae Felin by staff and volunteers.

“The internal success at the One Bay Way Staff Awards further showcases the project’s success to staff. Knowing colleagues voted for Cae Felin shows it has caught the imagination of staff and that there is a grass roots desire for innovative sustainability and wellbeing initiatives being supported by the health board.

“The NHS Forest Award was another big success for everyone involved in Cae Felin. It shows that what we’re doing is being recognised and valued throughout the UK NHS.

“The project gives us an opportunity to engage people with nature and harvest the benefits of that in terms of psychological and physical wellbeing. It is also perfect for highlighting how we can be more sustainable in what we do, whether that be by growing food using regenerative principles, developing our infrastructure using circular economic principles, or by patients accessing Cae Felin as part of their recovery and rehabilitation. 

PICTURED: (From left) Assistant grower Jose Godoy, head grower Neil Moyse, director Will Beasley and founder Amanda Davies.

Mr Beasley was also invited to speak at the NHS Forest conference, held at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, and take part in a panel discussion regarding using green spaces on health care sites.

Mr Beasley said: “It was an honour to be able to discuss what we’re doing at Cae Felin with a room full of experts within the sustainable health care field.

“I spoke about the unique partnership Cae Felin has with the health board and how as an anchor institution Swansea Bay University Health Board is progressive in their thinking and is using their assets in such a way that then enables us to improve our local population health and wellbeing.”