Sacred Greenspace in the South Wales’ Valleys
There has been considerable interest into the sustainability of the UK’s parks due to the beneficial impacts these spaces have on people’s wellbeing, to connect with the environment and deliver everyday community functions. It examines how a community is engaging with its local neighbourhood park, largely exploring to which sites and features in the park the community identify as sacred. The research focuses upon community engagement in relation to Darran Park, located in the post-industrial town of Ferndale, South Wales. The area has experienced social and economic changes during the twentieth century, largely due to its transition into a post-industrial landscape, and today is an area of social, physical and cultural uniqueness. The study utilises the sacred place model, to explore the deeper and overlooked place attachments the local community have to their park. It uncovers the story of Darran Park, from its origins and history, to its current challenges and budget cuts that threaten its future sustainability. It finds that the policy, language and the discourse of greenspace in Wales has evolved since the inception of Darran Park, but the need to connect and escape to the natural environment has remained a focus for Ferndale’s community.
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