A MUM and business owner who secured improvements to a Powys park says she has the 'politics bug'.

Edith Farnworth, 35, says becoming a mum spurred her on to campaign for change when she realised there was no equipment for toddlers in her local park.

She is joining Welsh Government in calling for more people in Wales to engage with politics, to have their voices heard and change the things that matter to them.

Edith, who is the owner of By the Wye Glamping, said: “I grew up in Llanbister. Until very recently, I’d lived there my whole life. The local park had some new equipment over the years, and I have fond memories of hours spent playing there as a child. But when I became a mum, I realised there was no provision for pre-school aged children – not even any toddler swings. I spoke with other mums at the local playgroup and we decided it was something we wanted to change.

“I started by contacting my local County Councillor, Rachel Powell. Having her involved from the beginning was really invaluable. She was really on board, she helped us to figure out what the local policies were – all villages have their own local policies – and to work out who was responsible for the park’s maintenance and upkeep. Within the playgroup we set up a steering group of a few local parents and worked together to raise the funds to buy new equipment for the park.”

Edith and her steering group identified potential sources of funding and filled out multiple applications to secure the funding they needed for the new equipment.

She continued: “The applications were tough going, they could take days to complete. Some of them needed supporting statements from local people, we’re lucky it’s a tightknit community and everyone was very supportive of what we wanted to do. It was so rewarding every time I had an email back from the funders to say we’d been successful, and we were one step closer to achieving our goal.

“My proudest moment was when we secured the National Lottery Award for All funding. You would be surprised how expensive park equipment is, our original fundraising goal just to get a couple of pieces of new equipment was £8,000. We really weren’t expecting to get the National Lottery funding, I remember the exact moment I opened the email to say we’d been awarded £10,000 for our little project. It was an amazing feeling to know we’d exceeded our goal and we could do even more than we’d originally planned.

“The existing equipment in the park had been purchased by the community previously, so any equipment that wasn’t age appropriate was donated to Llanbister Primary School to use in their playground. They’re planning to create a willow structure around the old climbing dome for children at the school to enjoy. In terms of new equipment, we were able to install a multi-level climbing frame, what I call a ‘Teletubby hill’ and a toddler swing. It was a fantastic feeling to see it all in place after years of hard work.”

Despite the hard work, Edith has now ‘got the bug’ for local politics and a move to Hay-on-Wye at the end of 2020 has opened up new opportunities.

She continued: “Now that I’ve seen transformation is possible it’s something I would love to be involved in again. With the current restrictions I haven’t had the opportunity yet to meet many people but I’m very community minded. I’m keen to get involved in local groups, I’ve already joined Hay Chamber of Commerce and am thinking about joining the town council as well. Hay-on-Wye is bigger than Llanbister, there are more opportunities for funding and ways of making change. My boys are two and four, so making sure there are good sports facilities and places for them to play is something I feel strongly about.

“To anyone who has something they want to change in their local community, my advice is to start by researching what’s already been done or what’s being done. There may already be a steering group in place, if there isn’t then set one up. And finally, make sure you involve your local representative. Rachel Powell was really invaluable in helping to identify funding sources and advising on policy and processes, we couldn’t have done it without her.

“Change takes time. It took two years in total for us to secure the funding, work out who would ‘adopt’ the park and be responsible for its upkeep once the new equipment was in, and get the equipment installed. When I started campaigning, I had one boy, by the time I’d finished I had two. I may have moved away now, but I know all that hard work means that pre-school aged children in Llanbister – including my little cousins and nieces and nephews – will now have a safe and age-appropriate park to play in for years to come.”

We all want to see positive change in Wales. And while it’s pointless muttering at the dog about the litter in your street – and moaning into your laptop isn’t going to increase local job opportunities – there plenty of positive things that you can do to make a difference.

From voting in the Senedd elections and responding to a consultation, to contacting your representatives and signing or starting a petition, there are lots of ways you can get involved in politics. You could even stand for election to represent your community.

For more information on how you can get involved, head to https://gov.wales/use-your-views.