Cardiff’s Railway Garden hosted a lively community event with music, cake, and fundraising, bringing locals together to support the Cardiff Foodbank.
Residents of the Splott are gathered at Cardiff’s Railway Garden on 9 November for a concert and cake sale raising funds for Cardiff Foodbank.
On the afternoon of November 9th, the Railway Garden in Cardiff’s Splott district was filled with melodious music, laughter and the appealing smell of cake. Residents had gathered for a free concert and cake sale. It was not only to raise money to buy food for distribution to those in need, but also to bring local residents together to discuss how to make the community better.
“I really like the idea of combining music and cakes, everybody loves cake,” said a 24-year-old volunteer Zack. “It was a very enjoyable fundraising celebration, and it was a great opportunity for residents to show off their musical talents and get to know each other.”
That afternoon, enthusiastic residents filled the small space to watch the community’s individual musicians showcase their performances and vocals. Some sang pop music, while others brought their drums and guitars to play.
What impressed the audience most was the fruit music performance, in which two young men from an organisation called Wild Rhythm inserted conductive materials into fruits and connected them to electrical circuits. The electrical signals generated in the fruit are processed into a wonderful sound. This performance received continuous admiration from the audience.
Imy Hopkins, 27, Campaigns Coordinator at the Cardiff Foodbank and organiser of the event , said: “Last year we delivered 20,000 Foodbank’s parcels across Cardiff. And two years ago, our food parcels usage increased by 50%.”
She prepared some forms and blank paper for residents to write down their opinions about the Splott area and some of the community issues they would like to address. Many residents have left their sincere opinions.
“My role is to come to the area and try to find out why people use Foodbank and what we can do to reduce the need for Foodbank. Whether people need cheaper transportation or more support in life depends on people’s feedback,” said Imy.
A coffee shop called Seal and Bear provided drinks and snacks for the concert. There were lots of hand-made cupcakes at the event for people to taste and donate some money voluntarily, all funds raised will go towards Cardiff Food Bank so they can help more people in the future.
“It’s amazing, not every day you get a concert and cake in one afternoon,” said Sanchita, 28, a doctor who had come down to take part in the event. “Plus, it’s nice to be part of something that helps the community, especially when times are tough.”
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, with the crowd munching cake with satisfaction and tapping their feet to the music. Sometimes the simplest things: delicious food, elegant music, and kind people, can make a big difference.