An innovative Human Library that aims to create fresh connections in rural areas between school children and older people in their communities is being boosted by a grant from Swansea Council.
The Human Library initiative run by Bantani Cymru CIC aims to create new connections where older people and younger children in rural communities can share stories and learn from each other.
The project is one of 13 schemes to have benefited from grants worth £200,000 as part of the council’s rural anchor project being funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Hazel Israel, a director of Bantani Cymru CIC, devised the Human Library volunteering project which involves local school pupils and older adults and has received £7,960 to support the project.
“Human Libraries’ offer a safe and structured way for people to ‘borrow’ a person instead of a book to share stories across the generations, promoting social connection, understanding, and inclusion between age groups.
Hazel said: “The project will recruit and support older volunteers from local community groups and care homes to become “Living Books,” sharing their personal stories and life experiences with school pupils.
“We believe these intergenerational conversations will foster wellbeing, reduce isolation, promote mutual respect, and offer pupils a rich learning experience rooted in real lives and voices from their own communities.”
She added: “These storytelling sessions serve as a bridge between generations, allowing older adults from rural communities like Pennard, Gower, and Penclawdd to reconnect, regain a sense of purpose, and experience renewed community involvement.
“For younger participants, the sessions promote emotional literacy, empathy, and a deeper understanding of their community’s heritage. By reducing loneliness and strengthening social bonds, the project contributes to healthier, more resilient rural communities.”
Other schemes due to benefit from the funding include:
- The Old Mill Foundation – Community led volunteers who support adults with cancer diagnosis, their families and carers seeking to install Solar Panels plus battery storage. – £21,148.80
- Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales – Project involving 17ha of land between Fairwood and Pengwern commons called Cartersford which will replant the woodland and to bring habitat and landscape benefits to this part of Gower – £14,956.03
- West Wales River Trust – An ‘Adopt a Tributary’ Project, which will upskill and provide people with the knowledge, confidence and enthusiasm to enable them to work together to ‘adopt’ their nearest stretch of river. – £14,836.99
- Anxiety Support Wales CIC – Project to pilot a proposed future scheme as an outreach initiative designed to address the pressing mental health needs of adults aged 18 and above in the North Rural Swansea wards. – £14,009.35
Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration,
Investment and Tourism, said: “What the latest round of funding from the Rural Anchor project shows is that there is so much diversity and imagination among our rural communities.
“People are just looking for a little bit of help to realise an ambition that has real potential to transform community life and that’s where the fund can step in. Without its support, some of these projects might have struggled to get off the ground.”
All the projects were assessed by a rural advisory group. Cllr Andrew Stevens, a member of the group and Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure at Swansea Council, said: “I live on Gower, so I have first-hand experience of the challenges our rural communities face.
“The projects we’ve approved show real imagination and a deep appreciation for the small things that can mean a lot. Small amounts of money through the SPF are going to have a lasting impact.
“I want to thank all those who put in funding bids for their inspirational ideas and commitment to improving the place where they live.”
