Rebecca Fogarty - Councillor for West Cross

I've reported this bin on the school run this afternoon - super quick and easy to do via swansea.gov.uk/reportit 👍

Are you enjoying the new artwork popping up around the ward? Thanks to Ffion from Fresh Creative Co. for the work she's done so far. There's several boxes that we have commissioned using community budget that are yet to be painted, fingers and toes crossed for good weather so we can see them soon. 🌞🪻🌼

Here's a selection of the photos from the local ward cleansing operatives of their work last week. Thanks to the residents who contacted us about these locations and sent photos. Please do report locations that need tidying up - if you can send photos and exact details of where the issue is, it really helps. It is best to email to [email protected], reports on Facebook may not be seen promptly.

We share residents' unhappiness about areas of grass left unmown in different parts of the ward. I have contacted the Cabinet Members and senior officers this week to express these concerns and request urgent attention.

Volunteers do so much at Red Community Project from cooking breakfast on a Wednesday to running Youth Club, getting people active at Community Fit and singing their hearts out at Musical Memories choir.

This week is extra special because their Community Meal is BACK and it's high tea! Thursday 4th June at 12:30 at Linden Church on Elmgrove Road ☕🍰🥪

The volunteers at Breakfast Club allow this lovely community hub to open every Wednesday. They cook free breakfasts, create a warm welcoming environment, provide hot drinks and sit and chat with people who come along, not to mention set up, pack down and a lot of washing up. This is the team who helped this morning but we have a few more who weren’t around today, we are so grateful to the whole team of volunteers who are the life and blood of these projects. Thank u for being amazing 🙏❤️

Today I joined the many volunteers involved in Mumbles Community Council projects for a bumper Coffee with Friends. Thanks to Sue, Helen and Karen for their award-winning hospitality and the ukelele band for providing the entertainment.

Coffee with Friends takes place on Tuesdays, 12-2pm at the Ostreme Centre in Mumbles. There are many other volunteer opportunities as well with Mumbles Community Council, whether it be another community space like the West Cross Warm Hub or West Cross Caffi, or outside in spaces like Norton Nature Reserve. Get in touch to find out more!

Some time ago I was contacted about the state of the path into the woods from Castle Acre and the section waymarked 'Mumbles Way' from Castle Road. These paths are well used but Welsh weather often leaves the path practically impassable, and locals have had to do their best with paving slabs. I'm really pleased to have worked with Jane, who initially contacted me, and councillor colleagues in Mumbles ward, Carrie T Jones and Cllr William Thomas - Mumbles, Swansea to secure a project to improve not only this short section in West Cross ward, but into and around Castle Woods.

Work will start tomorrow (Wednesday) and may cause some minor disruption while it is being completed. The paths will be made level and widened making them much more accessible. We have discussed with the officers the issue of surface water and drainage at length and the path will be raised up and made using porous compacted stone so that water can naturally soak through.

I know how many people have appreciated Jane's hard work in planting beautiful flowers along Mumbles Way (pictured here). Unfortunately to improve the path, these flowers need to be removed, temporarily at least. Today I met with Jane again and hope we can bring back as much of the wonderful colour when the work to improve the path is complete.

It's so I'll be sharing some posts about local projects that are volunteer-powered and keep our community going. First up, it's West Cross Foodbank where fabulous volunteers do everything from collecting food to connecting people with the help and advice they need in challenging times 👏

Know some brilliant volunteers or a wonderful project in West Cross? Give them a shout out in the comments!

We love our volunteers every week but this week is Volunteer Week so we want to take time to say a special big thank you to all our volunteers who make Linden Wellbeing Hub such a wonderful place. West Cross Foodbank runs every Monday 12.30-2.30 and our volunteers are here to set up, provide a warm welcome, food support, signposting and then the big pack down. What a team of volunteers you all are, thank you for all that you give and do 🙏😊❤️