Grangetown is a creative, diverse, and vibrant place to live and work and here at Grange Pavilion the community celebrates that and more in this accessible and inclusive space welcoming daily visitors and hosting hundreds of clubs and activities across the year.
This beautiful artwork by Jack Skivens wanted to tell the story of Grange Pavilion through the eyes of those who were there from the beginning. His research and interviews helped him capture the project, the people, and the journey to the Pavilion’s launch.
The result of local ambition
Our story started over 10 years ago when residents developed a shared vision for a space where all members of their community could come together. The once-deteriorating bowls pavilion – now this stunning Grange Pavilion – became the focus of our ambition. A specially formed residents’ group – the Grange Pavilion Project – forged a partnership with the voluntary group, Grangetown Community Action, Cardiff University’s Community Gateway Project and Cardiff Council. The partnership group worked together to raise £1.8m to redevelop a previously-vacant bowls pavilion into the beautiful community facility you see today. It was designed to create affordable space-for-hire, a community-focused café offering training to young people, outdoor gardening and more…
Within just a couple of years the old pavilion was being used by by thousands of residents and scores of stakeholders and had launched 150 community-led initiatives in response to local ideas, and the ideas have kept coming. And the spaces are well used throughout the week and across the year. Here in the Pavilion you’ll find everything from a gardening club to our Youth Forum, sewing groups to Bollywood fitness sessions, book clubs to English classes. The list is extensive and you can find out more here.
Resident-led Team and Management
Our resident-led Board was established to help raise the initial funds and to develop our stunning building, and their commitment to the project continues today. The Board is chaired by our Partnership Manager Ali Abdi.
The Grange Pavilion now has charity status and 75 per cent of its team are Grangetown residents. They are led by our manager Sophey Mills.