Wales Co-op gets involved with CHC's fesTYval...

During the school holidays, we have time to consider where CHC’s recent FesTYval fitted into the summer programme of events. It began by cleaning up the unused Cyfartha School in Merthyr...

Yes, actually cleaning the school!

Delegates were welcomed by singing in the first morning session, plants could be bought all day, and popsicles were sold in the afternoon as the sun shone. The Wales Co-op shared a stand with Cadwyn Housing Association and all the visitors mingled.

Home Farm Housing Co-op featured in our exhibition as a pioneer pilot co-operative housing scheme in our support project. This support project is funded by Welsh Government and The Nationwide Foundation – the latter from their alternative housing funding programme. They are working with the international Building and Social Housing Federation as part of ‘Scaling up Community-led Housing’ which they describe here.

We are part of the Alliance across the UK, so the FesTYval in Merthyr was part of this regeneration. Ideas and messages from what used to be Wales' largest town, when coal and iron were exported all over the world, are again being used to promote Co-operative Housing across Wales and beyond.

I can’t wait for other CHC events in the Autumn, and trying to guess what and where FesTYval will be next year!


David Palmer
Wales Co-Operative Centre