Natural Environment

Top tips for supporting nature, biodiversity and well-being at work

Supporting nature in the workplace, has multiple benefits for people, plants and pollinators.

A recent report in Harvard Business Review demonstrated that even small interventions to increase access to nature – in offices from Canada to China – increased staff creativity, productivity and helpfulness. Natural England’s “Links between natural environments and mental health” 2022 paper also affirms that spending time in natural environments is associated with positive outcomes for mental health, stress and psycho-social wellbeing.

Both reports indicate that increasing access to nature need not be large-scale, expensive or onerous to generate these benefits. Whilst not every organisation can invest in a green roof or living wall, even micro spaces can become ‘stepping stones’ to connect up habitats and provide feeding stations for wildlife. For staff too time-pressed to fit in a regular nature walk, daily glimpses of nature at work and a chance to see, smell or hear our incredible biodiversity are also effective in boosting mood and performance.

Public bodies already have a duty, under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, to maintain and enhance biodiversity and their partners and suppliers are being asked to showcase their biodiversity commitments too when they tender for public contracts.

With all these reasons to incorporate nature more in both our personal and professional lives, we are delighted to share some top tips to help!

How you can take action for nature

Let it grow!

Take part in No Mow May and Let it Bloom June – Plantlife’s annual campaign urging everyone to pack away the lawnmower, let wildflowers grow freely and help nature. By letting it grow, we can support pollinators and help to restore pockets of species-rich grassland. So, whether you’re in a city, town or the countryside, let it grow!

Adopt a green space

Adopt a verge or a green space near your place of work. Download Plantlife’s ‘Road verge and green space management best practice’ guides and learn how to transform verges and green spaces.

Small is beautiful

No lawn or green space is too small! Even the smallest wild patch can provide vital food needed by bees and butterflies, connecting us with nature and giving nature the best start to summer. 

Tall colourful wild flowers growing through a crack in the paving

‘Nature isn’t neat’

Check out the MonLife’s ‘Nature isn’t Neat’, approach to establishing joined-up green space management to create wildflower-rich pollinator habitats across Gwent local authority areas. This includes a comprehensive toolkit to support organisations and community groups.

Turn a neglected space into a vibrant garden

Keep Wales Tidy are giving away free garden packs to community groups, schools and other community-based organisations to turn neglected spaces into vibrant gardens. Whether you want to grow fruit and veg, create a green community hub, or boost local biodiversity, there are several packs to choose from.

‘Biodiversity Basics’

If you are a community or town councillor, you can take part in One Voice Wales Biodiversity Basics (Module 25 – Biodiversity basics Part 1 and Module 26 Part 2) designed by the Cynnal Cymru training team. This course teaches the basics of biodiversity, nature recovery and ecology to enable good decisions and effective Biodiversity Action Plans.

Citizen science

If access to land in your work place or at home is limited, why not explore biodiversity in your local area by using the LERC App, contributing to nature conservation, planning, research and education by submitting biodiversity records.

You can also help control and reduce the spread of invasive species at home or work with the help of this easy-to-use toolkit from the Wales Resilient Ecological Network.

Increasing nature & biodiversity at your business premises

Using the expertise of its Landscape Architecture team, Groundwork has pulled together a free Nature & Biodiversity toolkit which outlines the different nature-based features your business could consider at different scales of investment and impact.

Empower your team

Our own Nature Wise course is a great foundation for all your team, to understand how your organisation can support nature recovery for Wales. Our course will help you to understand our ecosystems, nature recovery, and our individual and collective responsibility to nature in Wales.

Become Nature Wise!

Practical examples of organisations taking action for nature

From small growing initiatives to site-wide biodiversity action plans, the following businesses and organisations are already taking action to increase biodiversity within their community and place of work.

1. Incredible Edible Network

Transport for Wales are supporting and working with the ‘Incredible Edible Network’ of growing initiatives including ‘Incredible Edible Abergavenny’ and Machynlleth (via Edible Mach) which plant fruit and vegetables in public places for anyone to help themselves.

2. Action on Climate Emergency

Action on Climate Emergency (ACE) Monmouth are a community group supporting a variety of nature-based initiatives to boost biodiversity and carbon capture. This includes coordinating seed swaps, a pesticide free Monmouth, sustainable open gardens and supporting nature enhancement in school gardens.

3. Y Stiwdio – A place to make, learn and grow

Y Stiwdio in Pembrokeshire is a creative space where wellies are welcome. A place to make, learn and grow. Y Stiwdio volunteers have created a community described as ‘A special place for all of us with secluded seating and a variety of wildlife-friendly plants to enhance the centre of the village’.

4. Cardiff University – Ecosystem resilience and biodiversity action plan 2024-2026

Cynnal Cymru has office space in the Sbarc|Spark building in Cathays Cardiff. While it is located in an urban area, we were pleased to discover the surrounding land was being used to create wildlife friendly spaces including mini meadows, hedgerows and a bug hotel. The Ecosystem Resilience and Biodiversity Action Plan, sets out how Cardiff University are going to maintain and enhance biodiversity and promote ecosystem resilience across Cardiff University’s campuses.

5. Capital Coated Steel – Biodiversity garden

Capital Coated Steel are an excellent example of how a steel manufacturer has made space for nature on a previously derelict site. The Biodiversity garden supports staff well-being, helps to educate visitors and repurposes waste. The project initiated by, Simon Nurse, and co-created with his team, has now taken on a life of it’s own! You can follow the latest updates on Simon’s Linkedin page.

6. Greener Grangetown, Cardiff – Sustainable Drainage Systems

Greener Grange is a nature-based intervention to retrofit a sustainable drainage system into existing urban streets, creating over 100 raingardens while leaving space for parking and other needs. Not only does the system reduce flooding, it has increased biodiversity and provides multiple benefits to the local community. You can read more about the Green Grangetown project on the Nature Based Solutions hub.

Top tips for supporting nature, biodiversity and well-being at work Read More »

5 ways to support and celebrate nature

1. Connecting with nature

Spending time in nature has many positive benefits to our health and well-being. ‘Green spaces such as parks, forests and gardens have been shown to have a significant positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing, promoting resilience, social connection and connection to nature.’ Cardiff University: Green social prescribing.

Get a well-being boost from just 20 minutes a day outside. Gareth Clubb, Director of WWF Cymru shares 8 ways to get your daily dose of nature as part of their ‘Prescription for Nature campaign’.

2. Making space for nature

“Imagination and commitment are more important than financial resources” Simon Nurse, from

Capital Coated Steel demonstrates how creating a wildlife-friendly garden at work has multiple benefits for people and pollinators.

A wildlife garden with lots of flower filled wooden planters and beehives

Capital Coated Steel’s biodiversity and well-being garden

See case study ↗

From creating a community orchard to turning a neglected space into a vibrant garden, the Local Places for Nature project from Keep Wales Tidy can helps groups and organisations of all shapes and sizes to create a space for nature.

3. Volunteering in your community

From tree planting with Stump up for Trees in Bannau Brycheiniog to litter picking with Keep Wales Tidy there are many fantastic volunteering opportunities across Wales. A good place to start is by searching for ‘environmental volunteering opportunities in Wales’ via your favourite search engine or visiting the Volunteering Wales website.

For specialist nature advice in your local area, you can contact your Local Nature Partnership Coordinator to find out about projects and volunteering opportunities on your doorstop.

4. Building positive partnerships

Collaboration is at the heart of the sustainability movement in Wales and is embedded into the Well-being of Future Generations Act through the Five Ways of Working. By building in opportunities for collaboration at the start of a project can lead to unexpected innovation.

Size of Wales, have an impressive history of creating positive partnerships that support people and protect tropical forests. The Deforestation Free menu, is an excellent example of how working with the Cookalong Clwb, they were able to inspire children to advocate for sustainable, deforestation-free school meals, with the Monmouthshire County Council committing to becoming the Wales’ first Deforestation Free Champion.

Sign up to the Cynnal Cymru newsletter for a monthly round up of sustainability news and opportunities.

A growing area for collaboration between small businesses is that of public sector and corporate tendering through sites like Sell2Wales.

Networks like People, Planet, Pint often have regional hosts and are a great opportunity to meet like-minds.

5. Feeling empowered to speak out

“Between 80 and 89% of the world’s people want their governments to be doing more to address climate change.” The Guardian: The 89 Percent Project. We often hear in our training, how people are worried about climate damage and the future. They think they’re alone, so they don’t want to speak up.

Through our Nature Wise and Carbon Literacy courses, we bring people together on journey to learn about why it matters, what you can do to make a difference and how you can develop the confidence to speak out.

You’re not alone!

5 ways to support and celebrate nature Read More »

18 September | Are we climate ready?

Join us on 18 September for an informal roundtable event where we’ll be exploring how your organisation could be affected by weather, including extreme events, and how you can prepare for the impacts of climate change, both in the present and future.

We will hear from our guest speaker, Alan Carr, Senior Sustainability Adviser at Sustainability West Midlands, who will be sharing his top tips for adaptation planning. Plus, Cynnal Cymru CEO, Dr Simon Slater, will be sharing some of the lessons learnt from over two decades working in the climate adaptation and resilience sector.

Whether you’re just starting to embed climate resilience into your organisation or looking to enhance your existing strategy and action plan, this session is an opportunity to share your experience, learn from others and identify risks and opportunities to ensure you are climate ready.

Places are limited, with priority booking for Cynnal Cymru members.

Register to attend

This event is for Cynnal Cymru members and for businesses or organisations that are based in Wales.

Date: 18 September 2025
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 noon
Location: Teams Meeting (online)

Register to attend

Speakers

Alan Carr, Senior Sustainability Adviser

Lead – Climate Change Adaptation, Sustainability West Midlands SWM

Alan leads on SWM’s adaptation activity, securing new projects and managing them through to completion. He has produced many place-based adaptation plans and risk assessments, working with local authorities and many external stakeholders. He has also produced a range of guidance and tools to help public and private sector organisations build their adaptive capacity, learn from good practice and implement adaptation action. He is also a partner in the Maximising Adaptation to Climate Change Hub, a co-funded project by Defra and UKRI, which aims to develop practical, scalable solutions that inform transformational adaptation strategies across the UK.

Simon Slater, CEO at Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales

Simon has worked in regional sustainable economic development in the UK and across the world as an environmental advisor with royalty, charities, government, councils, and business, supporting leaders seeking to invest in a more sustainable future.

He has been involved in running sustainability and community development charities, such as Sustainability West Midlands, the Springfield Project, and ecobirmingham, developing people and processes to help grow income and impact.

18 September | Are we climate ready? Read More »

3 people in a conversation

How do we talk to people about climate and nature?

Communication and storytelling are crucial in persuading people to care and take action for climate and nature.   

It might be hard to grasp why some people don’t seem to care about nature or climate change, but for many, life is busy and already full of challenges and priorities. We have also become so disconnected from the natural world that it can be easy to forget that it’s essential to our existence. Unfortunately, just telling people why climate and nature matter, is unlikely to get them to change their mind or their habits. In fact, scare tactics have been shown to switch people off more than get them on board.  

To help you improve your approach to talking to your friends, family or colleagues, our training team have drawn on their shared experience to create their five top tips for communicating about nature and climate change. 

1. Focus on what’s possible, rather than what isn’t

Create a positive vision of a thriving future, and encourage people to share their own vision – storytelling can be a great tool for this. 

2. Appeal to people’s better self and encourage empathy

Most people want to be healthy and happy and would like the same for their family and friends – so highlight the tangible benefits of taking action on climate change. 

3. Remember the importance of listening

When communicating about climate change, what you hear is as important as what you say. Understanding why someone thinks the way they do will help you engage with them more effectively. 

4. Find some common ground

Avoid polarising arguments or rhetoric that can lead to ‘us and them’ or ‘everybody else’ thinking. Instead, highlight the things we have in common. 

5. Normalise positive behaviours

We tend to respond to things we see our peers doing, so provide some real, positive examples of how others are taking action.

If you want to know more? Check out these useful resources. 

To read: 

To watch: 

  • Colli Cymru i’r Môr – three-part series on iPlayer and S4C Clic looking at climate change in Wales and further afield. It’s presented in Welsh with English subtitles.  

To listen: 

To learn: 

You can also learn how to talk to people about climate change or the nature emergency as part of our Carbon Literacy or Nature Wise training courses.

How do we talk to people about climate and nature? Read More »

09 July | Nature-based solutions at work

Join us on 09 July for an informal roundtable event where we’ll be exploring how nature-based solutions can create real business benefits in the workplace .

Led by Louise Cartwright, our Head of Training, this session will feature expert insights on how organisations are embedding nature into their operations—and the positive impacts they’re seeing. We’ll also be joined by Stacy Griffiths, Corporate Environment Lead and Danielle Pugh, Sustainability Assistant from Wales & West Utilities. They will be sharing their integrated approach to supporting nature.

Whether you’re just starting your nature journey or looking to enhance your existing strategy, these sessions are a chance to connect, learn, and share your own experiences.

Places are limited, with priority booking for Cynnal Cymru members.

Register to attend

This event is Cynnal Cymru members and for businesses or organisations that are based in Wales.

Date: 09 July 2025
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 am
Location: Teams Meeting (online)

Register to attend

Speakers

Stacy Griffiths (AIEMA) | Corporate Environment Lead, Wales and West Utilities

Stacy Griffiths joined Wales & West Utilities in 2005, where she gained extensive experience across a variety of roles in Business Services before moving into Asset Management. In March 2022, she joined the Corporate Environment Team as an Environment Analyst, swiftly ascending to Corporate Environment Lead in October 2022 when the team expanded into the Sustainability and Environment team it is today. 

In her current capacity, Stacy is responsible for delivering Wales & West Utilities’ comprehensive Environmental Action Plan. This plan outlines the company’s short, medium, and long-term ambitions to significantly reduce environmental impacts in key areas such as business carbon, resource use, and waste, while simultaneously maximising positive impacts on natural capital, culture, and society.

Stacy earned her BSc through the Open University, graduating in 2023. She is currently completing a Certificate in Environmental Management with IEMA, working towards obtaining Registered Environmental Practitioner status on her path to full chartership.

Danielle Pugh (AIEMA) | Sustainability Assistant, Wales and West Utilities

Danielle Pugh is a Sustainability Assistant at Wales & West Utilities, where she joined the Sustainability & Environment team in 2024. She plays a key role in embedding eco-conscious solutions into daily operations and supporting strategies that drive meaningful environmental change. With over eight years of experience across various departments at Wales & West Utilities, Danielle brings a broad perspective and valuable insight to her current role.

Danielle earned her BSc at the University of South Wales in 2014 and has recently gained her IEMA Associate status and is working towards full chartership. Danielle looks forward to contributing to the conversation on building a more sustainable future.

09 July | Nature-based solutions at work Read More »

Making Funerals More Sustainable

Nothing is certain except death and taxes.

At least that’s what Benjamin Franklin said in 1789, which has fueled centuries of debates over taxes, but not so much on the subject of death. We all care about what happens to us after we die, whether that’s the way our funeral is handled or how our loved ones are supported. These days, as with everything else, more of us are thinking about the impact death has on the environment.

In Wales annually there are around 36,000 registered deaths, 80% of which will result in a cremation at one of 18 local authority and private crematoria across the country.

To encourage and support the transition of the funeral sector to more sustainable ways of working, Cynnal Cymru members Brendan and Carolyn Day introduced the Greener Globe Funeral Standard in 2020. Both had a keen interest in the environment, with Brendan having had a career in the bereavement sector and Carolyn having worked in insurance and compliance. It made sense, given their shared interests and expertise, to create a sustainability audit process for businesses in the funeral sector. After five years, Greener Globe Funeral Standard now has registered clients not just in Wales, but also across the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands. 

Carolyn Day and Brendan Day Directors of Greener Globe Funeral Standard present the Environmental Bronze Award to Clive Phillips at Margam Crematorium
Carolyn Day and Brendan Day Directors of Greener Globe Funeral Standard present the Environmental Bronze Award to Clive Phillips at Margam Crematorium.

Bespoke online questionnaires are provided for crematoria, funeral directors, and suppliers, with a cemetery version being released this spring.  The first step requires the funeral organisation to demonstrate that it has recognised the need to operate sustainably by adopting an environmental policy and providing  evidence that this is cascaded throughout the organisation.

The second step is the completion of the full Sustainability Audit Questionnaire covering key aspects of the business, each answer being evidenced with copies of documents or photographs uploaded to the GGFS website.

The audit generates an award – Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum – depending on the score generated by the environmental benefits/cost environmental aspect scoring matrix. In addition, a bespoke improvement plan is provided to indicate where further changes can be made to lessen the impact of the business on the environment.

It is great news to report Margam Crematorium, operated jointly by Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot Council, became the first crematorium in Wales to receive the Trusted Crematorium Bronze Award.

Margam Crematorium
Margam Crematorium

To protect the environment, crematoria must reduce their carbon footprint. Their primary fuel is gas, which results in the production of CO2. Margam Crematorium must be commended for significantly reducing its gas consumption, by working closely with its cremator suppliers, Facultatieve Technologies who have developed new software and hardware. As a result, between January – August 2024 a total cumulative gas saving of 186,000kWh was recorded. A pro rata annual reduction in CO2 of 52tons. This saving will be ongoing and can be rolled out to other sites, not only in Wales, but across the UK.

Brendan and Carolyn look forward to Margam Crematorium completing the sustainability audit and achieving a higher award.

Mark Isherwood MS, Chair of the Cross-Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement in the Senedd presenting The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) with their Environmental GGFS Bronze Award. From left to right - Phil Blatchly, NAFD Wales President; Barry Pritchard, NAFD Chair; and Mark Isherwood MS, Chair of the Cross-Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement in the Senedd.
Mark Isherwood MS, Chair of the Cross-Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement in the Senedd presenting The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) with their Environmental GGFS Bronze Award. From left to right – Phil Blatchly, NAFD Wales President; Barry Pritchard, NAFD Chair; and Mark Isherwood MS, Chair of the Cross-Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement in the Senedd.

If you know a crematorium, cemetery, funeral director or supplier who is looking to work more sustainably, please contact Brendan and Carolyn at info@ggfs.co.uk  

Our thriving community of mutually supportive members provides an opportunity to share learning, challenge thinking and mobilise action, be this through co-designed events, hosting networking sessions or simply sowing seeds for future collaborations or thought-leadership.

If you would like to talk to a member of the team about how we can support your organisation, please contact membership@cynnalcymru.com. 

Join a growing movement for positive change >>

Making Funerals More Sustainable Read More »

Helping Nature Thrive

Helping Nature Thrive

We help individuals and organisations understand their place in our natural ecosystem

Become Nature Wise

Eco Literacy for all

As part of our commitment to a thriving natural environment in Wales, we created Nature Wise Eco Literacy.

This expert-led course is built to help you understand how human activities are disrupting our eco-systems and what you can do to improve your human-nature connection. 

We can all see the changes in our natural environment over the past few decades. Across Wales, extreme weather has become more frequent, more species are becoming endangered, and our spaces are less biodiverse in exchange for concrete car parks and monocultures. 

But there is so much more that we can’t see until we pay attention. By understanding how our ecosystems work, we can discover our impact on them and learn how to help nature recover. 

Learn more about Nature Wise
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Understand your place in our ecosystem

Nature Wise Eco Literacy

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Get in contact

If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please get in touch.

General Enquiries

shwmae@cynnalcymru.com
+44 (0)29 2294 0810

Training

training@cynnalcymru.com
+44 (0)29 2294 0812

Helping Nature Thrive Read More »

19 Feb | Ask the Expert: Electric Vehicle fleets and infrastructure

Curious about starting an Electric Vehicle (EV) fleet? Confused about the planning and infrastructure required?

Join Cenex experts, Keith and Connor, for a specialist session on the future of transport. If you have any specific questions in mind then please send them over beforehand or a brief explanation of what you would like to discuss. 

Book your place >>

What is ‘Ask the Expert’?

‘Ask the Expert’ is a new series of informal drop-in events where you can join our specialists for a short presentation and guided discussion around a chosen topic.

Who is it for?

This session exploring EV fleets and infrastructure is for Cynnal Cymru members only.

Our thriving community of mutually supportive members provides an opportunity to share learning, challenge thinking and mobilise action, be this through co-designed events, hosting networking sessions or simply sowing seeds for future collaborations or thought-leadership.

If you would like to talk to a member of the team about how we can support your organisation, please contact membership@cynnalcymru.com. 

Join a growing movement for positive change >>

Our experts

Keith Budden

Head of Business Development | Cenex

Keith Budden leads Cenex’s work to develop partnerships with public and private sector organisations, helping them deliver net zero mobility. Over the last ten years he has enabled Cenex to grow and increase its impact across the UK, Europe through the development of Cenex Nederland and globally including helping establish the Global Sustainable Mobility Partnership of partner NGOs. 

Keith has significant experience of working in international settings having lived and worked in East and West Africa. He has recently led Cenex EV policy advice for the Governments of Seychelles, India, Thailand and Uruguay. He has previously worked for International energy company E.ON, Birmingham City Council as well as environmental NGOs.

Connor Allen

Technical Specialist | Cenex

Connor is a chartered Automotive engineer with professional experience in data-led fleet strategy development, low emission vehicle testing, and project management.

As a technical specialist within the Cenex Policy, Strategy and Innovation Team, he delivers customer projects relating to the development and deployment of new and emerging low emission vehicle technologies.

Cenex was established as the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell technologies in 2005.

Today, Cenex focuses on low emission transport & associated energy infrastructure and operates as an independent, not-for-profit research technology organisation (RTO) and consultancy, specialising in the project delivery, innovation support and market development.

They also organise Cenex-Expo, the UK’s premier low carbon vehicle event, to showcase the latest technology and innovation in the industry.

Their independence ensures impartial, trustworthy advice, and, as a not-for-profit, they are driven by the outcomes that are right for you, your industry and your environment, not by the work which pays the most or favours one technology.

Finally, as trusted advisors with expert knowledge, they are the go-to source of guidance and support for public and private sector organisations along their transition to a zero-carbon future and will always provide you with the insights and solutions that reduce pollution, increase efficiency and lower costs.

 To find out more about them and the work that they do, visit their website.

19 Feb | Ask the Expert: Electric Vehicle fleets and infrastructure Read More »

Wales in 2051 – Green Skills

In this mini-series, told through six characters, we explore what the world could look like in a healthy, collaborative, and inclusive future where governing structures have adapted to fit a way of life that supports planetary boundaries and fair treatment of all people, with well-being as the focus for measuring societal success.

Inspired by CAST’s social visions of low-carbon futures report, the manifesto by the Ministry of Imagination, Ciprian Sipos’ posts about future jobs, and Climate Outreach, we hope to show readers that everyone can play a huge role in achieving a sustainable present and future.

More importantly, through these stories, we want to focus on the role of skills and enabling environments to illustrate that we need all kinds of ideas, people, and institutions working together as one creative hive mind.

Our first set of stories has been developed by Camille Løvgreen and Dr Karolina Rucinska as part of their work on green skills, alongside a series of events and advice sessions.

Here is what they said:

“Nothing moves us like a good story. Through storytelling, we can imagine the future we are working towards, build hope and momentum, and come together to take collective action. These six characters and their setting let us talk, creatively, about big ideas without using big words. This makes it possible for everyone to see how they fit into the current and future world visions”

Karolina

“The idea of exploring these characters  through an imagined society with different operating structures and a different priority on the way we live is not only to imagine what a healthy coexistence between people and planet may look like, but to explore how quality of life can improve with a deeper connection to the people around us.”

Camille

Setting the scene

It’s 2051, just a year after what leaders of the past called the Net Zero deadline. Although the emissions continued to reduce over the decades, only a few benefited from the shift to low-carbon economies. Why? Worldwide, the transition was a disaster. There was a lack of planning, of imagination and foresight, of inclusion and system thinking… Everything that was not meant to happen…happened. Between 2024 and 2035, the world experienced mass unemployment, instability, closure of borders, the collapse of ecosystems, barren agricultural fields, reversal of human rights, and the collapse of economies.

A year after the big two-oh-five-zero, a leading news agency correspondent visited nations worldwide to see how they were doing. Most people had forgotten what 2050 was about, but a few remembered.

Welcome to Wales in 2051

How it all started >>

Meet our characters

The stories are viewed through the eyes of the narrator, a journalist who sets the scene through a message sent to the editors of a leading news agency about their tour around Wales in…2051!

Starting with Adi, each story introduces a new character who describes their day. Each story leads onto the next, showing how we are all connected directly and indirectly and can positively influence each other’s lives.

Adi – a civil engineer with an expertise in environmental resilience

Meet Adi >>

Cameron – a young school boy, friend of Adi and son of Luke

Meet Cameron >>

Luke – a family man and business owner

Meet Luke >>

Aman – a community farmer

Meet Aman >>

Cleo – a doctor

Meet Cleo >>

Gwen-Eddo – a policy-maker

Meet Gwen-Eddo >>

Wales in 2051 – Green Skills Read More »

Growing a ‘Capital’ garden

You do not typically associate a steel manufacture as being a leader in terms of contributing positively to biodiversity, but that’s exactly what Simon Nurse and his team at Capital Coated Steel set out to do.

Simon’s enthusiasm and innovative approaches to his work, show how you can make space for nature in the unlikeliest places with incredible results.

Reclaiming space for nature

The inspiration for the garden was provided by the space itself, where the Victorian walls presented an opportunity to think about the area differently. Simon was also inspired by the book, ‘Islands of abandonment’ (Cal Flynn), and this led him to think about how places can revert to their previous state. Finally, the desire to do something positive and meaningful that would have internal and external benefits, helped to put a plan into action.

The idea was to create a biodiversity and well-being garden, designed to acknowledge the lengthy industrial heritage of the site and also to restore the area to a bio-productive space by introducing nesting boxes, bee hives, planters filled with pollinator friendly flowers, two ponds and a canopy with a green roof.

Advice came from lots of quarters; including Project Nestbox and the Sirhowy Bee Company, and also from gardeners from within their team, alongside friends and family.

“We have also never stopped listening to ideas and are currently working on an edible gardening journey to share crops with our staff.”

The garden was developed as a multi-faceted tool for sustainability, it:

  • Gives nature a place to thrive
  • Is part of a wildlife corridor on site
  • Offers a real-world example of nature alongside industry
  • Is a mechanism for training
  • A clear embodiment of our sustainability aspirations
  • An inspiration for other businesses

Balancing business and bees

The biggest challenges came from the environment within which the garden is sited and also creating the ‘right’ balance between core business activities and maintenance. Would the bees thrive? Which plants are hardy, low maintenance and good for biodiversity? Could they allocate sufficient resource within weather windows? (they are after all, a steel company and not a botanical garden, so there is only so much time they could devote to the garden itself).  However the latter point is almost moot – where there’s a will there’s a way.

Beyond business benefits

The benefits have been significant. Simon reflects on some of the successes so far:

“On the environment – we have returned life to a formerly barren area. The space is now full of flora and fauna, most obviously flowers, shrubs, birds, bees, insects and amphibians.  

On the workforce – I can’t think of a better project that’s communicated the values of sustainability and the importance of biodiversity, from materials re-use to eco-systems.

On the organisation – it has been a real success in convincing the outside world that we listen, think, plan and act on sustainability. This has manifested itself in improved relations with key stakeholders and customers. Banks in particular, value organisations who take their responsibilities seriously.”

How to start your own biodiversity journey

Simon and his team are proof, that even the smallest space can have big impact and the momentum and growth of the project shows that just starting where you are can be enough. As Simon say:

“The big takeaway from project is no matter what resources you have – or don’t have – at your disposal, do what you can with what you’ve got. Any area can be used, waste can be upcycled. Imagination and commitment are more important than financial resources.”

Capital Coated Steel is a processor of pre-finished steels and metals, offering slitting, decoiling, profiling and shearing services. A Welsh owned company established in 1972, Capital serves multiple markets including building envelope, domestic appliance, cold rooms and general manufacturing.

They regularly work across many sustainability initiatives and in 2025 achieved the Ecovadis sustainability rating Silver award.

Simon regularly shares progress on the garden on Linkedin and is well worth a follow.

Not sure where to start on your own biodiversity journey? Check out our Nature Wise course to learn about the links between human activity and ecosystem disruption. Our eco-literacy training will help you develop the knowledge to enable you and your organisation to take action for nature recovery.

Find out more >>

Growing a ‘Capital’ garden Read More »

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