A DERELICT play area in Dinas Powys that was transformed into a community garden has been an incredible success, providing enough food to supply three local food banks with extra produce.

The Nightingale Community Garden boasts plots for all abilities, raised beds for the disabled and a community gathering area for sharing produce and hosting workshops and events.

Dinas Powys ward councillor Keith Hatton, who worked with a residents group to set up the garden with support from Community Foodie said: “We’re now in our second year and the whole project has really brought the community together.

“In a relatively short time we have transformed the site and it is great to see it brought back to life and to experience the sense of community it now creates.”

Mike Grove, Treasurer for the Vale Food Bank, said: “We have two food banks in Barry and one in Dinas Powys that benefit from Nightingale Community Garden.

“We support around 25 families a week so it can get very busy and we really appreciate the extra produce.

“When you’re on a low income, you notice that it’s the fresh produce that costs more so it’s great being able to deliver vegetables to our clients that were harvested that same day - you can’t get better than that.”

Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Lis Burnett added: “When I visited the opening of the Nightingale Community Garden for their official launch I was bowled over by just how much the local community had achieved with the support of Community Foodie.

“It was so encouraging to see the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables that were being grown and the real sense of community spirit.

“The fact that they have now made links with the local food bank to supply their surplus produce just shows how a project like this can benefit not just those involved but can also spread throughout the whole community.”

The Community Foodie Project was set up to transform neglected sites into thriving gardens to support the rising demand for space to grow food.

To find out more, visit www.communityfoodie.co.uk or email foodie@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk