**Cardiff Community Club Unites Generations and Cultures Amid Challenging Times**
At a moment when support for young people is diminishing in many parts of the UK, one Cardiff youth centre is bucking the trend by drawing together teenagers, pensioners and refugees in a shared vision of community. Grangetown Boys and Girls Club stands as a rare example of open-access youth provision in the Welsh capital, thriving despite tight budgets and social upheaval.
The centre’s development manager, Mathew Salley, knows all too well how vital such spaces are. “Youth services in Cardiff have been cut by almost 70% due to austerity and the soaring cost-of-living,” Salley explained. “Yet, we’ve managed to keep our doors wide open and welcome everyone – no matter their age, background, or experience.” For more than two decades, Salley has worked in the voluntary sector, and he believes the club’s mission has never been more important.
What distinguishes the club is its intergenerational approach. Rather than working with young people in isolation, the centre runs a variety of programmes that engage everyone from children to pensioners, and increasingly, newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers. Salley describes the philosophy as one of unity. “It’s not about creating silos. We’re about shared projects that bring people together,” he said.
The weekly calendar at Grangetown Boys and Girls Club offers something for everyone. Tuesday’s “Made with Love” group provides older residents with opportunities to socialise and take part in creative activities. Fridays are dedicated to the “Cartref” session – named after the Welsh word for home – where asylum seekers, refugees, and local community members can interact, build friendships, and share their stories.
“You can sense real enthusiasm on those days,” Salley remarked. “Integration is so much more than learning English or understanding new customs. It’s also about being accepted and having a place to belong, especially given the tensions we’re seeing in wider politics these days.” The club’s ethos encourages refugees and newcomers to step straight into community life. Initiatives range from river cleanup sessions with the local whitewater centre, to volunteer efforts that address emergency situations such as regional flooding.
Salley is quick to dispel any notion that community work means simply “drinking tea all day.” Instead, he points to the club’s hands-on involvement: “We’ve gone out to clean rivers, supported communities hit by flood disasters, and undertaken volunteer work across the region. It helps our members improve their English, get to grips with local culture, and contribute meaningfully.”
Recent collaboration with the construction firm Wates has given the centre a much-needed facelift, including garden restoration, upgrades to heating and windows, and plans for a brand-new kitchen. “Our funding is limited, so the support from Wates – especially their volunteers who helped tidy the garden – has been a real game-changer,” Salley acknowledged. The garden is far more than a patch of greenery; it’s used to grow food and run workshops focused on environmental awareness, further strengthening community ties.
For Salley, these physical improvements mirror a bigger ambition: to restore the neighbourly spirit he remembers from his own childhood in Grangetown. “I grew up in the docks, on Alice Street. My father was Muslim, my mother Christian, and we celebrated both Eid and Christmas. Back then, it was all about coming together as one,” he recalled nostalgically.
That vision continues to guide the club’s activities today. Younger members and older residents regularly come together to cook, chat, share memories, and learn from one another. “We want to make belonging the norm again,” Salley insisted. “It’s about letting conversations flow and rediscovering the richness of community life.”
As Grangetown evolves, with new homes springing up and an ever more diverse population moving in from around Wales and beyond, Salley believes forging a united community is more vital than ever. “We’ve got a strong Welsh-speaking group here, but they don’t always get involved in projects like ours. We want everyone to feel they have a voice and a stake in decisions,” he noted.
Despite ongoing financial pressures, Grangetown Boys and Girls Club has secured funding from the National Lottery’s People’s Trust and continues to seek out meaningful partnerships, which may even pave the way for job opportunities for local people. As Salley summed it up: “We may be small, but our purpose is huge. It’s not just about supporting young people – it’s about reminding Grangetown what being one community truly means.”