Residents of Canada Road, in the Gabalfa area of Cardiff, are using their Christmas decorations to raise funds for Cardiff Foodbank. This community-led project, supported by local businesses and St Monica’s Church in Wales Primary School, will create a walk-through Advent calendar using the street’s front windows.
The first window of the project, created by pupils from St Monica’s Church in Wales Primary School and Morgans Consult, was unveiled this week at the company’s offices at the corner of Canada Road and North Road.
Organisers and representatives from Cardiff Foodbank then walked the length of Canada Road to see pupils from St Monica’s Church in Wales Primary School launch their specially designed banner, which echoes the window at Morgans Consult at the other end of the street.
Every day one or two new windows will be revealed until Christmas Eve, with all windows remaining on display until Twelfth Night (Monday 5 January 2026) – the traditional date for taking down Christmas decorations.
This is the second-year residents in Canada Road have organised an Advent Windows Project. Planning has been underway since October, when residents voted on the charity they wanted to support. Cardiff Foodbank, which is part of the Trussell network, was selected. The charity provides emergency food and support to people in crisis in Cardiff.
Speaking about the decision to use the project to fundraise for charity, organiser Nic Humphries said, “People really enjoyed seeing their neighbours’ creative ideas last year, and we noticed how many people stopped to take photos, and that’s what made me think that it might be worth experimenting with it as a fundraiser.”
This year, the reach of the project has widened, extending when St Monica’s Church in Wales Primary School also became involved. Speaking about their involvement, Head Teacher Abigail Cuthbert said, “We are very happy to support Cardiff Foodbank by raising awareness of the wonderful services they provide and helping them to raise money. This community project comes with the additional benefit of helping families to notice the fantastic effort residents and Morgans Consult in Canada Road have gone to in decorating their houses – we shall have lovely surprises every day in the run-up to Christmas!”
Another aim of this project is to provide a free festive activity for parents and children walking through the street each day. The project has developed a colour-in Advent calendar so that children can follow the project day by day. Details of how to get a free copy of this are available on the project’s JustGiving page.
This year, the project will have a more polished and consistent look thanks to the support of Morgans Consult. Mike Kitchin, Managing Director, said: “People and community are really important to us, so we were genuinely proud to support such a meaningful cause over the festive period. Seeing residents, schools and local businesses come together to bring a little extra Christmas warmth to the local area, while raising vital funds for families who are struggling, has been amazing to see.
“As a signage and branding specialist, it felt natural for Morgans Consult to contribute materials that would help the campaign stand out. St Monica’s is a valued client, and collaborating with them on the window display was a real highlight. The children’s artwork added a heartfelt touch that captured the spirit of the season beautifully, and it was a joy for us to showcase their creativity.”
Local Welsh-language bookshop Cant o Mil has also joined the project, which residents hope will extend awareness within the Welsh-speaking community.
Speaking about Canada Road’s Advent Windows Project, Rachel Biggs, CEO of Cardiff Foodbank, said, “This is such a lovely community-led fundraiser; we’re really grateful for all the donations and very excited to see the window displays as they are revealed.
“Last winter Cardiff Foodbank gave out enough food to make 47,907 meals – more than half of those who received emergency food were children. We are keen that this event also raises awareness with families in the area that Cardiff Foodbank is here to offer help and support.”
If you need a voucher for emergency food, go to Cardiff Foodbank’s website, cardiff.foodbank.org.uk, where you can see the community organisations that we work with who can issue food bank vouchers. They’ll talk to you about your situation and can issue you a food bank voucher.
Anyone can follow the windows and donate to the project at https://www.justgiving.com/page/canadaroadadventcalendar-1q. Each participating house is also displaying a QR code leading to the project’s webpage.
