Geifr Gwyr

Geifr Gwŷr (informally known as Goatbusters) is an innovative project that aims to use the power of goats to clear spaces for nature and connect people to their environments .

The Idea...

The project is inspired by Street Goat in Bristol and our observations of how goats are great in controlling scrub and invasive plants and improving wellbeing. Goats have long been a smallholders favourite due to their size, adaptability and usefulness. We want more people to benefit from this and have more green spaces cleared for nature. We also realise that there are lots of people with dreams of smallholding but without the money, space or time to do it full time. Could we create a diverse community that shares goats in Swansea?

The Story So Far...

A group of interested people have visited the amazing Street Goat Project and met a few times to discuss the project ideas. This may involve a membership fee and would require a certain commitment from members who in return will get to learn new skills, spend time with goats and be involved in conservation and producing local food. There is the potential for milk (as well as produce and hides) if people want to come and milk. Funding was received from Bwyd Abertawe for a feasibility study to help get the club running. With this we bought some new rare breed goats, of course!

Our next steps are to secure grazing sites around the city and recruit potential members for the goat club.

We held an event on the 6th of October where potential members met the goats, tried some goat produce and found out more. If you missed this meeting but want to get involved please join our mailing list here

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Goats on the Hill?

We are now beginning a community consultation around the use of a site in Townhill, Swansea. This is a site that stretches along Pantycelyn Road, it is steep and underused area and now completely scrubbed over with bramble and gorse. Putting goats here could provide a community focal point, open the site back up for people and nature, giving spaces for plants and minibeasts to thrive in. We also expect that local people will enjoy caring for and visiting the goats and learning how to care for them and the benefits of conservation grazing. We hope local people will be proud to host the goats and will be more likely to get outdoors and connect with their environment because of them. We can't even imagine how beautiful the goats will look with that iconic view of Swansea Bay behind them. We are hoping to get the club started but then it will be over to local people to run it. We already have a few volunteers from that area who are keen to take on goat duties and already have good animal care knowledge. We are happy to provide training to people who want to get involved and can remain at the end of the phone for advice. We have been offered several sites but this is the most exciting as the site is very overgrown and it is a very urban area meaning more people can enjoy the goats and the new spaces they create.