Children at a city school are enjoying a greener environment thanks to work led by Cardiff University.
ILM Primary School in Cathays, Cardiff, now has its own pollinator garden following a series of creative workshops facilitated by artists Louise Shenstone and Nancy Evans.
The colourful addition is part of the Greening Cathays initiative led by the School of Pharmacy's 'Pharmabees' project in partnership with Creative Cardiff, which aims to bring together communities and re-energize public spaces through creativity.
Funded with support from Cardiff City Council through the Shared Prosperity Fund, it has enabled seven artists to work on a range of creative projects with Cathays residents, encouraging them to connect with the natural world, and with each other.
Louise Shenstone, said: "The aim was to bring some colour and life into an unused area of the school yard using a variety of creative mediums and some bee-loving plants and flowers. The project is helping raise awareness of the importance of pollinators as well as creating a calm sensory space for the pupils to use for outdoor education and wellbeing purposes."
Working with pupils from the school on a series of creative workshops has helped ensure a legacy beyond the garden, helping them to learn about their natural environment and the importance of protecting biodiversity.
Nancy Evans, said: "Through creative processes, we had an open dialogue about the space, getting pupils to think about what is important to them, about pollinators and their environmental needs. The results of creative workshops also fed directly into the final designs."
The ' Pharmabees ' project aims to create a bee-friendly city and support the education of children of all ages by fostering a closer connection with nature and bees – a creature that is vital for biodiversity.
Other projects in the pipeline include development of plans for a Cathays bee trail in partnership with local schools, pollinator-friendly planters at various locations in Cathays, a plan to create a nature friendly space next to Cathays Train Station and a pop-up exhibition to connect residents with the nature on their doorsteps.
Project lead Professor Les Baillie, based at Cardiff University's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said: "Initiatives such as these enrich nature and strengthen the bonds between the university and the community where we work and live."
Greening Cathays was delivered in partnership with Creative Cardiff , part of Cardiff University's Centre for the Creative Economy .
Creative Cardiff Manager, Carys Bradley-Roberts, said: "As we mark our 10th year of Creative Cardiff in 2025, we know how impactful creativity can be in helping bring communities together and in telling the story of our city's places and spaces. It's been a privilege to support the Pharmabees team on Greening Cathays, working with seven fantastic local artists and community groups to deliver meaningful placemaking and public art projects, as well as learning about the needs of our local environment."
