Conservation, history, and community are the three pillars of Penllergare Valley Woods, and these are at the heart of all we do.
Explore some of our important projects below:
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Conservation
One of the main conservation projects over the past year has been our Water Vole Project. The project’s primary focus was to create habitats for the rapidly declining species.
The Water Vole Project has been supported by funding from the Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme
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History
For her 16th birthday, John Dillwyn Llewelyn gifted his daughter Thereza the observatory. Around 1855, John and Thereza took one of the earliest photographs of the moon in this very observatory; the father-daughter duo worked together to take the photograph, with Thereza moving the telescope for the longer exposure time and John working the camera.
This is a rare example of a mid-nineteenth century private observatory with only one other example in Wales. In partnership with Dark Sky Wales, the Penllergare Trust seeks to fully restore the Penllergare Observatory and create a planetarium.
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Community
From the welcoming smile and excellent service in our Coffee Shop to the planting of apple trees in the new Heritage Orchard, volunteers are at the heart of everything the Trust does. Without the amazing efforts of Our Volunteers, the Penllergare Trust would not be able to open, maintain, restore and conserve the Penllergare Valley Woods for the public.
In 2016 our volunteers and their outstanding service was recognised by The Queens Award for Voluntary Service (equivalent to an MBE).
