Cymraeg

Newsletter #1

Barry Plan for Neighbourhoods: Barry’s 10-Year Regeneration Plan for a Brighter Future
The Barry Plan for Neighbourhoods programme is funded by the UK Government, with a planned investment of up to £2 million per year over 10 years.

Welcome 

March 2026

Barry is beginning an exciting 10‑year investment programme to tackle local priorities, improve quality of life, and shape a brighter future for the town. Guided by the Barry Neighbourhoods Board and five resident‑led action groups, volunteers from across the community are already exploring ideas to improve public spaces, high streets, community life, youth opportunities, training, and wellbeing. This newsletter will keep you updated on progress, highlight projects, and share ways to get involved as we work together to build on Barry’s strengths and ensure this investment delivers real, lasting benefits for everyone. 

It’s great to be able to talk about some concrete projects being funded by Barry Plan for Neighbourhoods, but there’s much more to come. Our volunteer-led local action groups have worked hard to promote nine further projects for the Barry Plan for Neighbourhoods board to assess most of which will happen and will make and increasingly positive impact on the lives of Barry’s residents. David Stevens, Barry Plans for Neighbourhoods Chair

Regeneration Plan submitted to UK Government  

We’re still at the early stage of this journey, having submitted Barry’s Regeneration Plan to the UK Government in late November. The plan brings together the priorities gathered from residents over the previous 18 months, as well as available data about the challenges facing residents and businesses in Barry.  

While the plan is now being considered, we’ve also been preparing for how the decision-making and partnership with UK Government will work in practice. At the same time, we have started to test a small number of early ideas put forward by the action groups, helping us build momentum and learn what works ahead of the main investment expected in April 2026.

Projects 

As we begin to put the Barry Plan for Neighbourhoods into action, we have started with three early projects that achieve one or more of our core aims: 

  • People feel safer in Barry
  • People have vibrant places to shop, work and enjoy 
  • People are active in, and proud of, their community 
  • Young people can fulfil their potential 
  • People have access to quality jobs 

The Big Barry Clean 

The Big Barry Clean ran from July to September 2025, responding directly to residents’ concerns about litter and fly tipping. With £11,000 of funding, we teamed up with Barry Town Council and Keep Wales Tidy to launch a town-wide campaign, providing 200 adult and 184 children’s litter picking kits, plus additional grabbers, to schools, sports clubs and community venues. 

The response from the community was fantastic. A total of 296 volunteers took part over the summer, collecting 160 bags of rubbish and 5 bags of recycling, with local schools contributing a further 22 bags of rubbish and 6 bags of recycling up to March 2026. Litter picks involved a wide range of groups from youth services, sports clubs and the Rotary, to 16 local schools.

The project’s impact didn’t end in September. Sixteen schools, 13 community locations, and a few committed individuals are now equipped with litter picking kits, helping to keep Barry cleaner all year round. Many schools have since become Litter Free Zones, embedding hands–on environmental learning into their curriculum and strengthening pride in our shared spaces. Although the organised campaign has ended, the momentum hasn’t. Residents can still join or form local litter picking groups and borrow kits through Barry Town Council or Barry Leisure Centre. We will be coordinating a new programme of litter picks this summer, more information will follow in the coming newsletters. 

Gig Ready Barry 

The Barry Gig Ready Project is an exciting new initiative supporting young musicians in Barry by offering hands-on industry training, expert guidance and performance opportunities. Launched at the Masonic Hall on 11 January, the project showcased eight young acts spanning genres from musical theatre and Motown to thrash metal and pop. Around 100 attendees, including local promoters, enjoyed the event, giving participants valuable exposure and networking opportunities. An expert panel of music professionals provided detailed feedback, and the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s communications team filmed the evening as part of an ongoing documentary following the young performers’ progress.  

Following the showcase event, participants began a structured programme of workshops designed to build both creative and professional skills which are currently ongoing. Sessions include a Business & Industry Skills workshop covering promotion, branding, streaming platforms and the practicalities of treating music as a business. This was followed by a Live Sound & Performance workshop offering technical training in PA systems, microphones, mixing and performance techniques. Throughout April, each act will film a professionally produced promotional video and demo track, providing high quality materials to support future gig applications and online presence. 

The project has been promoted through Mack Events, Bro Radio and local community platforms and will culminate in a showcase on Barry Island on 2 May. The Barry Gig Ready project is already demonstrating the potential for a longer term creative industries training offer in Barry while giving young performers the confidence, skills and connections they need to progress their musical ambitions. 

Neurodiversity Coffee Morning 

The third early project is a series of Neurodiversity Coffee Mornings to support parents with neurodiverse children. We will report back on this project in the next newsletter.