Four new community members join the North Gate Swansea Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board as the programme prepares for its next stage
We are delighted to announce the first community appointments to the North Gate Swansea Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board.
Following a strong response to our first open recruitment process, Timm Dadds, Rhianydd Herdman, Heather Allen and Gareth Richards will join the Early Board and help shape the future of North Gate Swansea.
They bring a fantastic mix of local knowledge, lived experience, professional skills and community connections.
Most importantly, they share a real passion for the neighbourhoods and people that make up North Gate Swansea.
Thank you to everyone who applied
We received an incredibly strong response from people wanting to get involved.
We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who submitted an expression of interest and took part in the process.
The quality of applications was exceptionally high. Choosing the first members was genuinely difficult because so many people demonstrated passion, commitment and a desire to make a positive difference.
We also know that some people who could make a valuable contribution may not yet have heard about the programme. Others may not have been able or ready to apply during this first recruitment period.
That’s why this is only the beginning.
More opportunities to join the Board
We want the Neighbourhood Board to continue evolving and to reflect the rich diversity of the communities it serves.
We therefore intend to undertake a further round of Board appointments within the next six months.
This will give us another opportunity to broaden representation and bring more community voices, experiences and interests around the table.
Alongside the Board, we will also develop a wider North Gate Swansea Changemakers Network.
The network will create more ways for residents, community groups, businesses, organisations and local stakeholders to share ideas, contribute expertise and get involved in shaping the programme.
Meet our new Board members
Timm Dadds
Timm is Headteacher of Hafod Primary School and has worked in the North Gate Swansea area since 2021.
During that time, he has built strong relationships with local families and the wider school community. This has given him a strong understanding of the area’s strengths, challenges and aspirations.
Timm said:
“I am passionate about creating opportunities for children and families, celebrating the area’s rich heritage and diversity, and working together to help make our community safer, cleaner and more prosperous.
“I want North Gate to be a place where people feel proud to live and where everyone can be part of a thriving community.”
Rhianydd Herdman
Rhianydd is Community Manager at Tramshed Tech, based at the Palace Theatre on High Street.
Working within North Gate Swansea has given her first hand experience of the area’s strengths, opportunities and potential. She has also seen the passion of local businesses, community groups and residents who want the area to flourish.
Rhianydd said:
“I am committed to seeing North Gate Swansea continue to develop as a vibrant, inclusive and welcoming place where residents, businesses and community organisations can thrive.
“I am excited to play an active role in ensuring local voices are heard and helping to shape a positive future for the area.”
Heather Allen
Heather has lived in Brynmelyn for more than 30 years and has a long standing passion for her local community.
She volunteers in the gardens and at the warm space at Waun Wen Community Centre. Heather is particularly passionate about supporting older residents and protecting the local activities that bring people together.
Heather said:
“I would like to see the area improve in all aspects. I feel strongly about supporting older residents and want to help keep local activities going.
“I have lots of ideas about what residents would like to see, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to share these within the Board and help make a difference locally.”
Gareth Richards
Gareth grew up in the Waun Wen and Dyfatty area and has lived there for most of his life.
His family’s connection with the area stretches across several generations. His grandparents lived in Hafod and once ran the Palace Theatre as a dance hall, while his father later settled in Waun Wen.
Alongside his lived experience, Gareth has academic interests in inequality, poverty and criminology.
Gareth said:
“My interest in the Board comes from a wish to see the community thrive on its own terms. I want to reduce inequality where I can and help create real opportunities for people here to look after their own area, rather than have solutions imposed from outside.
“A big part of this is making sure the full range of voices in the community gets heard, not only the loudest ones.
“I believe strongly in strengths based, place based approaches, starting from what a community already has, rather than what it lacks.”
Building the Board and getting ready for action
These appointments are an important next step, but there is still plenty of work ahead.
Our immediate focus is continuing to build the Neighbourhood Board, bringing together the community engagement and evidence already gathered, identifying where we still need to listen more, and putting the right support in place to launch the programme well.
The Board will then work alongside local people to develop the long term vision and priorities for North Gate Swansea and help determine how Pride in Place investment can make the greatest difference.
This is about bringing community voice and local decision making into the heart of what happens next.
We look forward to working with our new Board members, future Board members, the North Gate Swansea Changemakers Network and communities across the area as we begin the next chapter together.
Further information about the Board, opportunities to get involved and upcoming community engagement will be shared soon.
Keep up to date and get involved:
www.northgateswanseapip.co.uk
Contact the programme:
[email protected]