Amplify Cymru was a programme of interconnected research and innovation support funded by the Welsh Government. Amplify Cymru helps people take action together to create fairer communities where everyone can thrive.
Our research into the lived experience of over 350 people in three Welsh communities, Port Talbot, Connah’s Quay and Aberystwyth, shows that people have a strong connection to the places they live and care deeply about their town’s features like beaches, rivers and parks. These connections provide a strong sense of belonging and shared community pride. They also have many supportive networks and people care for each other. These findings stand in stark contrast to the dominant narratives which present them as places of remoteness or in industrial decline.
However, people in these communities also experience many inequalities. But people are also taking action to make their places better for those that live there. The research found that each town is brimming with charity, action, goodwill, and social innovation. But there are challenges to this including many people not knowing that they are able to ask for support, or how to ask, and external structural factors, such as the accessibility of sources of support and funding.
Community wellbeing Economic precarity
Posted on: 7 February 2017 Authors: Mary Hodgson,