Social Value

19 / 09 / 2025

Leading partnerships developer Lovell, which is delivering the St Mellons Community Living Project for Cardiff Council, recently teamed up with local organisations to host a Healthy Living Day event for the St Mellons community.  

The event was centred around promoting wellbeing, healthy lifestyles and local support initiatives, and was organised by Meriel Gough, Social Value Manager, Charlotte Holder, Social Value Coordinator, and Noorhan Griffiths, Marketing and Social Value Coordinator at Lovell. A variety of stalls, activities and performances were set up throughout the day for children and families to enjoy.

Professionals from 14 organisations across Cardiff set up interactive stalls at the Beacon Centre, including a police officer, dietitians, a supermarket manager and student volunteers, to teach community members about how to eat healthily, get active, take care of the environment and connect with peers.

Healthy Living Day also took place at Meadowlane Primary School. 40 children in year six enjoyed a dynamic, fruit-themed musical workshop from Phelps Music, which ended with them parading around the school’s perimeter whilst playing their instruments and singing about healthy eating.

Children in years two to five took part in a smoothie bike challenge, using £200 worth of fruit and juice donated by Tesco in St Mellons. The children selected their favourite fruits and blended them by pedalling on a special bike.

Pupils were also able to take part in a healthy eating poster competition, where they were tasked with creating poems or artwork around the theme ‘fruit for health’. Six posters were selected as the winners and as a prize each child won a certificate and a Lovell-branded gift bag, and had their work displayed at the Beacon Centre.

Lastly, a charity raffle was hosted on the day, with prizes donated by Lovell contractors and employees. The raffle raised £71 for Hope St Mellons, a volunteer-led community development charity, and the Friends of Meadowlane Association, which fundraises to improve Meadowlane Primary School’s facilities.

Gemma Clissett, regional partnerships director at Lovell, said: “Healthy Living Day was a fantastic community event and we are delighted that it was such a success. By working in partnership with local organisations, Meadowlane Primary School and members of the community, we were able to come together and host something really special for children and families of St Mellons to enjoy.

“We hope everyone who took part in our Healthy Living Day had a wonderful time, and we’d like to thank all our employees and contractors who contributed to the raffle.”

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at Cardiff Council, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: “The work Lovell is doing in St Mellons is making a real difference – not just by building the new council homes we are delivering but by supporting events like Healthy Living Day that bring people together and promote wellbeing.”

The St Mellons Community Living Project is being built by Lovell for Cardiff Council and will provide high-quality, independent living accommodation for older people. The £17.2m development will deliver a total of 60 one and two-bedroom, self-contained apartments for social rent and a wide range of communal facilities.

To see more of the Lovell Healthy Living Day event, head to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbp9FfymjiM&t=3s.