Temple Friends: Supporting the Temple and Peace Garden

Temple Friends ‘Peace Gardening Bee’, June 2024

The ‘Temple Friends’ group enables people to get involved in supporting Wales’s historic Temple of Peace and Health, through practical volunteering help and creative conversations around how local communities can make the most of this incredible public space that we want to be ‘open to all’; to be a voice for stakeholders, and to safeguard for future generations this unique building, its heritage and mission. Temple Friends advocate both for the Temple’s historical value, and contemporary relevance.

Founded from the building’s 85th Anniversary, ‘Temple Friends’ get together roughly monthly for volunteer ‘Gardening Bees‘ sprucing up Wales’ National Garden of Peace, followed by tea and cake and ‘Creative Conversations‘, where attendees can chip in and explore ideas for Temple events and activities, as well as discussing current international issues and ideas for action. Many of these dates are also preceded by lunchtime Temple Tours and / or Archives & Library Open Days (for volunteers, students and researchers), plus some Temple Friends groups may take the initiative to organise evening lectures or public meetings on a range of issues or topics.

Temple Friends meeting / activity dates can be seen via WCIA’s Events page, provisionally for 2024-5 these will be:

  • Wed 23rd October 2024 (15.00 Peace Garden Bee, 17.00 Tea & Cake, 17.30 Creative Conversation)
  • Wed 20th November 2024 (as above – linking in to this week’s Women’s Peace Centenary Exhibition, and also the Temple’s 86th Anniversary)
  • Wed 5 February 2025
  • Wed 5 March 2025 (16.00 Peace Garden Bee, 17.30 Tea & Cake; 18.00 Creative Conversations)
  • Wed 2 April 2025 (timings as above)
  • Wed 7 May 2025 (timings as above)
  • Wed 4 June 2025 (timings as above)
  • Wed 2 July 2025 (timings as above)
  • Wed 6 August 2025 (timings as above)
  • Wed 3 September 2025 (timings as above)
  • Wed 1 October (15.00 Peace Garden Bee, 17.00 Tea & Cake, 17.30 Creative Conversation)
  • Wed 5 November (timings as above; possibly including a bonfire eve social)
  • Wed 26 November (talk and social marking the Temple’s 87th Anniversary)

Cherishing a great ‘Gift to the People of Wales’

Read ‘A New Mecca: The Story behind Wales’ Temple of Peace‘, by Dr Emma West (WCIA Heritage Trustee)

Wales’ Temple of Peace and Health is a public monument, gifted to the nation and to Wales’ future generations in 1938 by Lord Davies of Llandinam, as the nation’s memorial to the fallen of World War One and successive conflicts. The 999-year Lease on the building (regardless of formal ownership) affords guardianship, office space and income generation to successive bodies leading Wales’ work on Peace and Health – today, the Welsh Centre for International Affairs and Cardiff University. The founding bodies were the Welsh League of Nations Union (WLNU, WCIA’s ‘grandmother’ body) and the Wales National Memorial Association (WNMA, for Eradication of Tuberculosis).

Wales’ Temple of Peace, and the surrounding National Garden of Peace, hold a place in the hearts of many individuals and organisations Wales-wide who share a common vested interest in the Temple’s past, present and future.

The Temple Friends’ Community

The ‘Temple Friends’ community brings together organisations and individuals – beyond purely the building’s occupants – to work together, coordinate ideas and events, and have a voice in the Temple’s development and role in Welsh public life. Friends of the Temple of Peace is intended as an informal but effective forum, pooling energies and knowledge of individuals and organisations involved: independent of, but supported by WCIA, Academi Heddwch, Cardiff University and others, to:

  • Facilitate contact and cooperation between communities / stakeholders with an interest in the Temple and Peace Garden, including online forum and email list for information / updates.
  • Facilitate joint events and volunteering projects on aspects of the Temple’s heritage that are important to community groups.
  • Monitor maintenance of the Peace Garden, organising volunteer ‘gardening bees’ and litter picks, and raising groundwork or other concerns with Cardiff University’s Estates team.
  • Consider and approve requests for new / refurbished monuments & plants in Wales’ National Garden of Peace, in line with its public purpose.
  • Liaise with WCIA and Cardiff University over any proposed building developments, and ensure that voices of wider Temple stakeholders are heard and taken into account with planning and refurbishment processes.
  • Enable local communities of volunteers to get involved with heritage projects and research initiatives.

In one of our early meetings we were joined by Graphic Illustrator Nate Barnaby, who captured the Temple Friends vision:

Graphic Facilitation by Nate Barnaby

How can I / we get involved?

Email TempleofPeaceFriends@gmail.com (please include: name and contact details, organisation (if relevant), a brief note about your interest / connection to the Temple of Peace and Peace Garden, and any specific aspects of the Friends’ work that you would like to be included in).

It is anticipated Temple Friends will hold regular discussions, on or offline, usually about an hour in late afternoon / early evenings. Over Spring to Autumn, ‘Peace Garden gathetings’ and other informal activities may be organised by Friends members.

Friends celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Peace Garden’s opening, in Autumn 2018.

Who are the ‘Temple Friends’?

A wide range of organisations and community groups have an active interest in the Temple and Peace Garden. Inclusion (or not) on this list does not reflect or imply any formalised agreements or responsibilities – simply an active history of participation in recent years. For example, many have dedicated memorials in Wales’ National Garden of Peace; some use the Temple as a venue for their major events, festivals or conferences; and some have had longstanding relationships with Temple Peace and / or Health bodies over successive generations.