Gelligaled Park Community Action Group
In 2018, residents of Ystrad Rhondda formed the Gelligaled Park Community Action Group. The Action Group was initially formed as a response to the conversion of the children’s multi-use games area into a car park. In October 2019, the Action Group became a registered charity. The group’s aim is to address ‘a perceived lack of accessible, free outdoor sports/play/leisure spaces and facilities for residents in Ystrad Rhondda and surrounding areas’.
The Action Group continues to work on projects designed to improve community well-being, this includes bringing flowers back into Gelligaled Park and ‘Christmas in Ystrad’ with the Christmas Tree and Carol Concert projects.
Latest News
June Update
Published 11/06/25
Thanks To Asda
Karen Thomas, Community Champion – Asda Tonypandy presented a cheque for £2,500 to trustees of Gelligaled Park Community Action Group.
The funds were used to purchase and plant two new planters in the park, adding to the four originally provided by the group. The amount donated by Asda is much appreciated as it allows GPCAG to further improve the facilities and surroundings within Gelligaled Park.
Future, planned activities for 2025 include:
- A “Festival of Sport”, Sunday August 24, 2025, in Gelligaled Park.
- A Christmas Concert, Friday December 5, 2025, Emmanuel Christian Fellowship Church (Tabernacle) Cross Street, Ystrad.
For further details and regular updates of the group’s ongoing activities and ambitions for the park, visit this website, the group’s Facebook page or from the regular postings at the noticeboard at the park entrance.
May Update
Published 23/05/25
Flower Planters
Two planters have been purchased and will be placed in position at the end of the month. The planters will be sited either side of the path leading into the MUGA. The planters were purchased with the support of funds donated by Asda Foundation Grant. This brings the total number of planters provided by the group to a total of six.
The spring flowers were replaced with summer plants in the four existing planters by trustees and volunteers. This selection of begonias will bring much needed colour through the summer months.
Dates For The Diary
GPCAG is organising a “Festival of Sport” on Sunday, 24 August in the park. Working with sports clubs and associations across the valley, the group is arranging sports competitions for youths and adults/men and women in a wide range of sports – cricket, rugby, basketball, etc. The sports events will be complemented with refreshment stalls.
The annual Christmas Carol Concert will again be held on December 5. Unfortunately, it is believed that St Stephen’s Church is closing. However, Emmanuel Christian Fellowship Church in Cross Street, Ystrad have kindly agreed to support us with this year’s concert. The concert will be complemented by the lighted Christmas tree in the Peace Park, Ystrad again forming part of the Christmas activities sponsored by the charity.
Further details of all events will be regularly posted and available on our Facebook page, this website, and on the noticeboard.
Consultations
The group met with cabinet members and officials of RCTCBC in late February to view the park and discuss many areas for improvement. It is great news to receive the announcement that the authority is investing heavily in expanding the existing children’s playground with new play equipment and renewing and improving the skate park and surrounding areas. GPCAG will continue to liaise with officials of RCTCBC to ensure we continue to expand the facilities and appearance of Gelligaled Park. For full details of the Gelligaled Park investment visit: Facebook – Emma Watts & Geraint Jones Labour Councillors for Ystrad and Gelli
Later this year GPCAG will organise a series of public consultations to gain further advice on improving facilities within the park. In previous consultations the provision of a community café came out as a priority. There was also much discussion on what could be done to improve the area around the old paddling pool. Details of dates and methods of consultation will be posted on our Facebook, website, and noticeboards.
April Update
Published 07/04/25
Noticeboard
The noticeboard will provide more accessible information on the group’s activities and those of other park users such as Ystrad RFC and Porth CC.
If you are planning an activity in the park, please let us know so that we can include details on the board.
Flower Planters
A further two planters have been purchased and will be placed in position in late May. The planters will be sited either side of the path leading into the MUGA. The planters were purchased with the support of funds donated by Asda Foundation Grant. This brings the total number of planters provided by the group to a total of six and is bringing much needed colour to the park.
Regrettably, there has been a degree of vandalism. The daffodils planted by the local schools using bulbs provided by the group in 2023 have been torn out and scattered around the park. In addition, plants in the planters have been stolen. These acts deprive park users of the experience of colour and a sense of spring freshness enjoyed by the vast majority of residents and visitors.
Trees
Approximately 16 new saplings have been planted at various points around the park in an effort to replace the mature trees lost to storms and age. These saplings will mature into trees providing a range of colours through flowering and leaf colour. Many thanks to the collaborative efforts of the departments within RCTCBC.
Easter Eggs
The group has funded the purchase of 220 Easter Eggs. These eggs were donated to YGG Bodringallt and Bodringallt Primary for the schools to distribute to each pupil.
Benches
Gelligaled Park Community Action Group is in discussion with RCTCBC Parks Department to fund the purchase of three benches for siting within the park. These benches will provide areas of relaxation for park users and sports spectators.
The benches will complement the six flower planters provide by GPCAG at areas along the central pathway, and the path leading into the MUGA. The group is currently waiting on advice from potential funding sources to assist with the purchase of these benches – the total cost of which is approximately £6,900.
Mindless
Published 12/03/25
In October 2022, Gelligaled Park Community Action Group purchased over 400 daffodil bulbs at a cost of £150 for planting in the park by the four local schools – Ysgol Hen Felin, Pontrhondda Primary School, YGG Bodringallt, and Bodringallt Primary School.
In the spring of 2023, many of these bulbs were lost when vandals rode bikes over the growing plants and tobogganed down the small slope. Now in spring 2025, further mindless vandalism has destroyed the remaining plants.
Many complain at the lack of facilities and loss of beauty in the park but the efforts of those with a genuine love of the park and what it offers the residents of Ystrad and the wider community are frustrated by these mindless and moronic acts of vandalism. Gelligaled Park Community Action Group is working to improve the facilities and attractiveness of the park. In March 2025, in conjunction with RCTCBC, they have initiated a planting exercise to replace trees lost to storms, age, and previous acts of vandalism. The programme has, to date, planted over 16 new trees in the park – flowering cherry, flowering plum, malus, rowan, etc – that will bring colour and shape to many areas. Let us try to make sure that these efforts are not lost.
Further events are being planned for the latter part of 2025 with the intention to hold the third annual Christmas Concert in Ystrad at the year end. Please check back with us on regular intervals for updates and further advice.
There’s more news on our ‘News’ page……
Our Projects
Winter Programme 2024-25
Gelligaled Park Community Action Group has continued their activities over the summer months and secured the installation of a further two planters in the park and with another two planned.
The two new planters have been sited to the left of the main walk through the park below the children’s playground and bring the total number installed by the group to four. In preparation for the winter months, the plants were cleared from the two pre-existing planters, and the soil refreshed in all four. New bulbs and bedding plants were planted in all planters ready to provide pools of colour in the spring 2025.
The planting by trustees was assisted by staff and pupils from Ysgol Hen Felin.
Many thanks are given to Hywel Bebb and his team from RCT Parks who assisted by positioning the planters in the park, to Asda Tonypandy for their generous donation of compost, and to B&Q Pontypridd for their support with bulbs and bedding plants.
We are now ready for winter with our planting programme.
Our Winter Programme continues with the installation of the Christmas tree and lights at the beginning of December in time for our Christmas Concert in St Stephen’s Church, Ystrad.
The tree and concert build on the success of the same exercise in 2023, and for this year’s concert on 6 December we have been successful in recruiting local talent. The confirmed programme will be posted here in early November when the programmes for the concert are available and come on sale. Watch this space for more advice.
Our ambitions for the park continue and we are actively working on short term and long-term projects to improve the facilities available to Ystrad and neighbouring communities.
Multi-Use Games Area
The multi-use games area was officially opened in July 2022 after a long complicated process including public consultations, writing business plans, fund raising activities, writing grant applications, applying for and obtaining planning permission, leasing the land in Gelligaled Park, environmental surveys, engaging with construction companies, and finally signing off the completed multi-use games area.
The multi-use games area project was funded by Welsh Government, Welsh Church Act Fund, Rhondda Cynon Taff CBC Enabling Fund, National Lottery, Coalfields Regeneration Trust, local businesses (such as Seasons Joinery) and local residents, the total funding raised by our charity to build the games area was £95,000.
Contact Gelligaled Park Community Action Group
If you’d like to contact us for any reason, then please don’t hesitate to use our Contact Form below.
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