The community in Cardiff has been left devastated after their garden shed was destroyed following a fire incident(Image: Cardiff Salad Garden)

Cardiff community allotment shed burned to the ground

by · Wales Online

A community has been left "devastated" after a shared garden space in Cardiff was burned to the ground. The Riverside Community Garden's shed in Pontcanna became engulfed in flames during the early hours of Sunday, November 17, leaving the community without a dedicated space to gather for refreshments, breaks and to socialise.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they were called to the scene at around 12.14am on November 17, before a stop message was received at 1.08am. The community garden at the allotment has been in existence for 15 years, and is said to be one of the oldest community gardens in Cardiff.

For the last six months, the community-interest company Cardiff Salad Garden has been managing the site. Sophie Bolton, the managing director of Cardiff Salad Garden, said the incident has left the community feeling "devastated". She said: "The shed was built by reclaimed pallet wood - it had a roof, it had a pizza oven inside, we had a massive table with seating for about 15-20 people in there. We would all sit there and have our tea breaks, our lunches together, we would sow seedlings there.

"If it was raining, we would do little indoor jobs there and then in the summer we would have the pizza oven on and bake pizzas. But on Saturday, the whole thing was burnt to the ground, there is nothing left of it at all." Sophie and her colleague went to survey the damage and saw the community has lost the entire shed, with the pizza oven, tables, chairs, a hand washing station and a library of gardening books also gone. Near the large shed, a few raised beds and fencing around a pond have also been destroyed.

"It was just devastating to have that much destruction," she said. "And just the thought that, we've got to rebuild it."

The garden shed at the allotment before the fire(Image: Cardiff Salad Garden)

She added: "We were really worried about how we were going to tell everybody because we knew it would really upset all the people that come to the site. It's quite traumatic to see this part of our community burnt down. We spent time ringing people up, to let them know, as we thought it was better to ring people than for them to turn up and see the devastation."

With over 40 volunteers helping out at the community garden, Sophie explained that the space is "valuable" and "so needed" to so many. As a result, the community has launched a GoFundMe page in the hopes to raise money and build a new shed for the allotments. For the latest Cardiff news, sign up to our newsletter here.

The Riverside Community Garden's shed in Pontcanna was engulfed in flames, leaving the community without a dedicated space to gather(Image: Cardiff Salad Garden)

"We hope to raise money to rebuild the shed," she explained. "We are hosting a range of workshops with our volunteers to say what was great about it and what we could do better with a new shed. It was built six years ago, since then maybe our needs have changed and we can look at ways of implementing that.

"So our aim is to use the least amount of money to build the best possible shed for the community, to ensure it's really good for people's wellbeing and sense of community spirit and for all that we do for the wider community - offering food and opening up the garden for everyone to enjoy and join us. It is really essential that we have that space to work, where we can come together and share.”

In the past, the community garden has grown a whole range of fruits and vegetables including tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, herbs, salad, cabbages, apples, and many other things throughout the different seasons. Not only can the volunteers take home their own produce, but Sophie explained that extra produce is then donated to the wider community at South Riverside Community Development Centre, who prepare meals for anyone who needs them.

As a result, Sophie said that the community space has become so much more than a place to grow vegetables, which makes it all the more important to rebuild the community shed. "The whole purpose of the garden is to benefit everybody's mental wellbeing and physical wellbeing" she said.

Sophie said that the community space has become so much more than a place to grow vegetables(Image: Cardiff Salad Garden)

"I think for some, there's a lot of loneliness and isolation, you might not get out of the house very often. So to have a space where people can come and sit, have a cup of tea and chat, that's a really important activity.”

The community’s fundraising page has so far raised over £1,870 and aims to reach around £5,000. According to Sophie, the group has been taken aback by people’s generosity. She said: "We have been totally bowled over with the sheer number of people who have donated to the fund so far. I know that money is really tight at the moment, but the generosity of people to be able to give just a little bit, is really heartwarming and welcomed."

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