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The photos above show the house, front garden, and sea view. To see more photos (house, land, people, visitors, local area, etc) click here and then choose the Brynderwen photo set. There's also a Pontardawe land photo set - see text below.
BRYNDERWEN (Welsh for oak tree hill) is a spacious 4-5 bedroom detached house set in a semi-rural area on the outskirts of Swansea. It's on an elevated site with views across the Bristol Channel, and has a large double garage (which could be converted to further accommodation or a workshop, or both) - and a caravan too.
We often have space for vegans or potential vegans to join us and live at Brynderwen (but non-smokers, and moderate drinkers only). Rent is about £55/week inc bills, but there are sometimes opportunities for people to work in lieu of rent. Enthusiastic gardeners/growers particularly needed!
We realise that veganism can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and so discussion (and some tolerance) is needed over what may and may not be acceptable regarding food, clothing, children, pets, vegan-organic growing, etc.
LIVING NEARBY Some people may wish to be involved in some of our projects but live independently nearby, rather than at Brynderwen itself, in which case we can help and advise. Properties locally are relatively cheap to buy or rent.
Brynderwen was established in 2002 and, although our group is still small, we're beginning to slowly expand. This project was founded by people in their 40s and 50s, but people of all ages are very welcome to get involved.
There's been some debate about exactly what we mean by "community". In one narrow sense the community consists of those people living at Brynderwen; in a wider sense the community extends outwards and includes those people who visit often, and who interact with us and each other.
LAND AND BUSINESS Brynderwen stands on over an acre of south-facing sloping ground, which we're currently terracing with the intention of starting a trees and shrubs in tubs business, as well as growing as much food as possible. And we have another six acres of semi-wooded and so far undeveloped land near Pontardawe (around eight miles away) - for photos click on the link near the top of the page.
There may be some casual paid employment opportunities nearby for tradespeople who have refurbishment skills (carpenters, electricians, experienced labourers, etc). We're working on practical business ideas to create employment for new and existing members, and we're planning a mostly business project involving local people living in their own homes.
VEGAN SUMMER GATHERING We used to run the annual Vegan Summer Gathering in nearby Mumbles and you can see photos (mainly from the 2004 and 2005 events) by going to the Vegan Summer Gathering website.
THE LOCAL AREA This part of South Wales is quite vibrant, and we've been encouraged by the number of people active locally. Swansea Vegans meet monthly, and there are two vegetarian restaurants/cafes and an Environment Centre. It's also an attractive part of the country to live in - the sea is visible from Brynderwen, the beautiful Gower Peninsula lies nearby, and the Black Mountains/Brecon Beacons are a little way north.
VISITING Visitors are welcome - several people have visited, for short and long stays - but please ring or email us first. We'd like more people to come here, short or long term, with or without capital, and get involved. And we're open to a variety of ideas...
For details of other communities in the UK (some vegetarian and a few vegan) go to the Diggers & Dreamers website.
Our friends at Vegfam now have a website. Vegfam ("feeding the hungry without exploiting animals") helps people overseas by providing funds for self-supporting, sustainable food projects and the provision of safe drinking water.
Brynderwen Vegan Community Crymlyn Road Llansamlet Swansea SA7 9XT Tel: 01792-792442 Email: Malcolm Horne or Bob Howes
This website is hosted by Vegan Views magazine - a UK not-for-profit magazine, which is downloadable for free from their website.