A unique Giant Storytelling Chair has found its home in Cyfarthfa Park during the bicentenary year. Serving as a permanent and functional public artwork, it will be an exciting new focal point for community engagement and education in Merthyr Tydfil.
Celebrating Local Craftsmanship
Standing at a colossal 2.2 metres tall and 1.4 metres wide, the chair is being installed in the tranquil woodland area just behind Cyfarthfa Castle, offering visitors a distinctive spot to sit, share, listen, and learn surrounded by nature and history.
The impressive structure was made possible through funding from the Friends of Cyfarthfa Park, a group of volunteers dedicated to ensuring that the park, its buildings and surrounding areas provide a quality environment that all members of the public can enjoy.
It was meticulously custom-made by hand at Merthyr’s Roots, an organisation based at the Cyfarthfa Greenhouses who specialise in providing bespoke and inspirational place-based learning experiences founded on Merthyr’s rich natural heritage.
Both organisations collaborated closely with the Cyfarthfa Foundation to bring the vision for the Storytelling Chair to life.
Launch Event
The public will get their first chance to enjoy the chair during the park's Spooktacular Halloween Trail on Wednesday, October 29. To mark the arrival, imaginative and interactive Welsh theatre company Flossy and Boo will be delivering free, family-friendly storytelling workshops as part of the trail. Ticketholders are invited to help the storytellers to weave brand new fantastical tales of magic and mystery.
Anneleise Shepherd, Community Development Manager at the Cyfarthfa Foundation said “This has been a partnership effort, and we are extremely grateful to the Friends of Cyfarthfa Park, Merthyr’s Roots and the Parks Team for bringing the fantastic storytelling chair vision to reality as a fitting addition to the park to celebrate Cyfarthfa’s 200th birthday.
We are excited that this will provide another exciting feature within Cyfarthfa for the public to enjoy. Initiatives such as this support our work to develop Cyfarthfa as a cultural attraction of national and international significance and an engine of social and structural renewal.”
Marion Walker, Chair of Friends of Cyfarthfa Park, said “The Friends of Cyfarthfa Park fundraisers are proud to support this excellent venture and look forward to hearing the many stories that this chair will have to tell”.
Driving Community and Cultural Engagement
The creation of the chair complements the work of the Cyfarthfa Foundation which is delivering a programme of engagement activities within the community to develop new leisure and recreation opportunities, education programmes, public forums and events, all celebrating Cyfarthfa’s role at the heart of life in Merthyr Tydfil. The Foundation’s activities are helping drive new footfall and grow engagement with Cyfarthfa, by providing opportunities for people to connect with Cyfarthfa’s cultural and heritage assets.
In the long-term, the chair will be available for enjoyment by families, schools, and other community groups. Future plans include a regular programme of dedicated workshops and seasonal activities, and engagement with local schools.
The Cyfarthfa Foundation is now actively seeking partnerships and collaborators who would like to support in creating a structured programme of activities linked to the chair, and invites interested parties to get in touch via email to info@cyfarthfafoundation.wales