Environmental Land Management Services

Environmental Land Management

Groundwork Merthyr and Rhondda Cynon Taff have always found the environment to be an excellent setting to teach people practical skills and get people active, whether that is through volunteering, work placement, employment training or just a one off community group activity. At Fedw Hir Eco-centre we have taken this one stage further and created our Greenskills for Greener Futures programme. With a focus on traditional country crafts and general land management the centre has developed a whole range of accredited and non-accredited training to suit most requests.

As Groundwork Merthyr & Rhondda Cynon Taff we have need to call on these skills from time to time to help us deliver projects for communities and bodies such as the Countryside Council for Wales, Forestry Commission Wales and a number of Local Authorities, including Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff and into the Brecon Beacons National Park. To this effect we have set up a pre-employment training programme that delivers a range of Environmental Land Management services to help deliver and manage a wide variety of environmental and countryside based projects.

Below is a small selection of the types of tasks the service can offer:-

· Habitat management, woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and river corridor.

· Coppicing, small scale brashing and felling

· Tree planting and aftercare

· Dry stone walling

· Hedge laying

· Path and cycleway construction

· Boardwalk and timber bridge installation

· Public rights of way management

· Cycleway construction and management

· Herbicide applications

· Grass cutting services

· Vegetation and brush clearance

· Pond construction and management

· Garden clearance, design, planting and maintenance

· School grounds maintenance

· Allotment clearance, design and construction

· Litter abatement work

By employing this service you will be supporting the development and training of many individuals who have had little or no job experience or are returning to work after illness or who are looking to find a new career path. In the last 18 months alone we have helped develop and train over 1300 people, during that time nearly 200 have gone into full time employment or further education. We have supplied placements to a number of organisations including Working Links, Tydfil training, Career Wales, Go Wales, Elite Employment Support Services, Rathbone training and Manpower. We have also been successful ourselves in securing Government training programmes, successfully completing the recent Community Task Force programme and Future Jobs Fund Programme for the Department of Work and Pensions.

Despite many of these individuals having low levels of practical experience all our teams are led by highly skilled officers with a background in countryside management and provision of training. As well as the training teams we have the support and guidance of professional qualified and indemnified designers and contract administrators who will work with the client to ensure all their needs are met and that the completed work is of the highest standard.

Examples of our Recent Client Base

· Brecon Beacons National Park – Several key bridges and crossing points on the Beacons Way.

· Countryside Council for Wales – Work at Penderyn Special Site of Scientific Interest. Fencing and scrub management

· Maerdy Regeneration Ltd – Management of newly created Community Woodland.

· Merthyr Tydfil Anglers Association – Works to Penywern Ponds (path creation).

· Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council – Reserve management in Taff Fechan Nature Reserve. Pwll Taff Fechan and Trevithick trail

· Forestry Commission Wales – Management of trails and walking routes

· Ty Hafan – improvement works to enclosed yard at Women’s refuge

· Peoples First (Rhondda) – creation of sensory garden

· Heatherwood Court Secure Unit – various training days

· Llwydcoed Primary School - creation of woodland and pond habitat learning area and ongoing maintenance.

· Aberdare Fishing Club – installation of disabled fishing platforms

· National Trust - Management of woodlands for nature conservation

For more information on the Environmental Land Management services please download our brochure or get in touch using details on the “contact us” page

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