What do you do when your community event faces a possible water shortage?

If you’re the team behind the Mountain Centre Welcome Day, you rally your supporters - and they arrive armed with bottles, tea urns, flasks, jars, and anything else that would hold water.

In the end, the mains supply held out, but the response captured the day’s spirit: everyone working together to ensure nothing could spoil the welcome for people seeking sanctuary.

The event, held at the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Visitor Centre in Libanus, was a mix of food, sport, creativity, and conversation. Organised with support from Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, volunteers set up gazebos, sports areas, and craft tables. Nicola and Maggie, Sport and Active Communities Development Officers, ran bikes, archery, games, and circus skills with help from young volunteers Darcy and Eden.

Food came from across the community - fresh organic vegetables from Alfie Dan’s market garden, crisp lettuce from Black Mountain College, homemade quiches from Jan Williams, fruit supplied at cost by Dennis and Cathy from Abergavenny Market, and a wide range of dishes donated by supporters.

Craft activities from The Big Skill and Emma Brown' s community art project gave children and adults alike the chance to create. One poignant message on the artwork came from an Afghan girl: “I want to be a doctor but in Afghanistan I couldn’t go to school.”

Fran led a guided walk with stunning mountain views, while Eleri told the story of the curlew’s decline and encouraged children to build “nests” from grass and sticks.

Lis, one of the organisers, said: “It was incredible to see so many people coming together - not just to welcome families seeking sanctuary, but to create a day where everyone, whatever their background, felt part of one community.”

For more information, visit: hbtsr.cityofsanctuary.org