Every year, FOR Cardiff’s City Ambition Fund invests in projects that make Cardiff city centre a more vibrant, sustainable and welcoming destination. Whether it’s supporting environmental initiatives, cultural events, placemaking projects or innovative ideas that benefit the business community, the fund exists to help turn great ideas into reality.
One of the latest success stories is Keep Wales Tidy‘s Hedge in a Box scheme, a fantastic example of how City Ambition Fund support is helping businesses play an active role in tackling the nature emergency while creating greener, healthier spaces across the city.
Bringing Nature into the Heart of Cardiff
Cities can often feel dominated by concrete, but even small pockets of greenery can make a significant difference. Through its Urban Long Forest project, Keep Wales Tidy is working to create a network of connected habitats throughout Cardiff, helping wildlife move more freely while making the city a greener, more enjoyable place for people too.
Thanks to funding from FOR Cardiff’s City Ambition Fund, city centre businesses can now become part of that vision through the Hedge in a Box initiative.
By installing these attractive wildlife-friendly planters outside workplaces, businesses aren’t simply adding greenery, they’re helping to build an urban green corridor that supports biodiversity, encourages pollinators and creates valuable habitats in places where nature is often overlooked.
It’s a simple idea with a lasting impact, demonstrating exactly how collaborative projects funded through the City Ambition Fund can benefit both businesses and the wider city.
An Exclusive Offer for City Centre Businesses
To encourage as many businesses as possible to get involved, FOR Cardiff has helped make an exclusive Buy One, Get One Free offer available.
The first six businesses to purchase a Hedge in a Box package for £500 will receive a second package completely free, allowing them to create an even greater environmental impact at exceptional value.
Everything You Need to Create a Mini Wildlife Haven
Each Hedge in a Box is designed to be a complete, ready-to-install package and includes everything needed to establish a thriving pocket of biodiversity:
· A 1.4m x 0.4m x 0.4m wooden woven planter on wheels
· Nutrient-rich soil, compost and decorative bark
· A carefully selected mix of native hedging plants and woodland bulbs, including hornbeam, bluebells, snowdrops and wood anemones
· Wildlife habitat features, including a solitary bee box and ladybird tower
· A bird feeder and bird bath
· Essential maintenance tools including a watering can and secateurs
Rather than simply providing the equipment, Keep Wales Tidy will also deliver the planter directly to participating businesses and support installation on site. Their experienced team will demonstrate how to care for the hedge, giving businesses the confidence to look after their new green space for years to come.
Small Actions That Deliver Big Benefits
The Hedge in a Box scheme highlights how relatively small interventions can create meaningful change when organisations work together.
Collectively, these planters will contribute to an expanding network of green spaces across Cardiff city centre, helping wildlife travel safely between habitats while improving the appearance and environmental quality of the streets we all share.
For participating businesses, the benefits go beyond biodiversity. The planters create more attractive frontages, demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility, and provide staff with a daily connection to nature—something increasingly recognised as beneficial for wellbeing.
As the planters contain native trees and seasonal bulbs, installation is planned for September 2026, ensuring the plants establish successfully during the autumn planting season.
A Great Example of the City Ambition Fund in Action
Projects like Hedge in a Box perfectly capture what the City Ambition Fund is all about.
By supporting creative partnerships and community-focused ideas, the fund enables organisations to deliver initiatives that might not otherwise be possible—projects that improve Cardiff today while creating lasting benefits for the future.
From greener streets and enhanced public spaces to innovative business collaborations and cultural initiatives, the City Ambition Fund continues to support ideas that strengthen Cardiff’s reputation as a thriving, forward-thinking capital city.
Could Your Idea Be Next?
The success of Hedge in a Box shows what can happen when a strong idea receives the right support.
If your organisation has an ambitious project that could make Cardiff city centre a better place to work, visit or do business, now is the perfect time to apply for this year’s FOR Cardiff City Ambition Fund.
Whether your idea focuses on sustainability, placemaking, community engagement, innovation or enhancing the visitor experience, the fund is designed to help transform bold ideas into projects that deliver real impact for the city.
Find Out More
Businesses interested in taking advantage of the Hedge in a Box Buy One, Get One Free offer should contact longforest@keepwalestidy.cymru. With only six funded offers available, early applications are encouraged.
If this project has inspired you, why not think about what your own organisation could achieve? Applications for this year’s FOR Cardiff City Ambition Fund are now open, and we’re looking for the next generation of projects that will help shape a greener, more innovative and more vibrant Cardiff city centre.