Community Enterprise Centre at the Heart of Mayhill Estate
Five years ago, the Mayhill area in Swansea dominated news headlines following a peaceful vigil on Waun-wen Road that escalated into unrest.
Since then, families living in the community have expressed that the incident has created a misleading impression of the area.
To understand the current situation, I visited local residents to learn about Mayhill and nearby Townhill, a community built on a hill overlooking Swansea city centre.
I arranged to meet Emily Hayman, who works at the reception of the Ffenics community centre on the estate. She is 37 years old and a mother of six children.
"It's lovely - it's quiet and there are no problems," she said.
Emily mentioned that the estate has suffered from "bad press in the past, but we haven't had any problems here."
Emily is busy in her role at the Ffenics, helping to advise people and organise local activities.
The centre opened exactly a quarter of a century ago with the aim of tackling poverty and revitalising the local community.
It is run by a group of volunteer trustees and includes a library, nursery, café, training rooms, and playgrounds.
'No Problems Here'
Emily reiterated that the estate has had "bad press in the past, but we haven't had any problems here."
She referred to a traumatic event five years ago when the community, locally known as 'Y Bryn' and encompassing Mayhill and Townhill, was shaken after a peaceful vigil for a local boy turned into unrest.
Cars were set on fire in a frenzy, property was damaged, and local families hid in fear in their homes.
As a result of the chaos on Waun-wen Road in May 2021, 18 people were arrested, and overnight the nation’s attention focused on the area following the distressing incident.
The Ffenics centre opened in 2001.
The events of that night remain vivid in the memories of those living in Townhill and Mayhill.
However, many of those I spoke to said the stigma resulting from the unrest does not fairly represent the community they know.
On a warm day, I wandered through some of the estate’s streets and shops, stopping to speak with locals about life in Townhill.
Unprompted, the responses were "lovely," "we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else," or "everyone looks out for each other here."
"I'm happy in this area," said Lily.
The estate dates back to the period between the two world wars, with housing built for working-class families.
More than half of the residents rent from the local authority.
What strikes you immediately is how green the estate is, with lawns in front of houses and thick trees and bushes from street to street.
This is also where some of the city’s most spectacular views extend across Swansea Bay, and on a clear day, you can see as far as Devon.
'They Really Want to Help'
Right in the centre of the estate is the Ffenics community enterprise centre, which opened in 2001 and was the first of its kind in Wales - run by people from the estate for people from the estate.
I asked Emily Hayman why people come here, and she said:
"They really want to help.
Sometimes they’re not sure where to go. Maybe the council says: ‘Go here’ and they’re not sure where.
So we help by telling them where to go, what to do, or what’s available for them."
On a Tuesday evening, I visited the new skate park near the Ffenics.
It was youth club night and busy - many local children had gathered, including Lily, a pupil at Tirdeunaw Welsh Primary School.
She said she had just been to the library at the Ffenics: "I like going there and coming to the youth club. There’s lots of fun to be had here.
I'm really happy in this area and at school. I can’t really explain why I like the area because there are so many things about the place I like," she said.
Ffion Spooner said that "people often join our [college] sessions to build confidence or learn skills."
As the Ffenics celebrates its 25th anniversary, it is collecting the centre’s history but also discussing hopes for the future.
Training local people to gain skills for employment is an important part of the Ffenics’ philosophy, and they collaborate with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Ffion Spooner, the college’s access officer, said: "People often join our sessions to build confidence or learn skills.
Sometimes people want skills to change careers, or perhaps some have stopped working to raise children or just want to gain different experience."
Simon Trick, the community policing inspector in Townhill and a regular visitor to the Ffenics centre, said:
"I’ve worked here for years. I love working here.
If you treat people here with respect and courtesy, they deserve it, you will get that back," he said.
As I prepared to leave Mayhill and Townhill, the message was clear: "There is good and bad in every community, but there is more good than bad on the streets in the 'Y Bryn' area of Swansea."
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