Ffordd Ymlaen

From January-April 2023, LocalMotion Carmarthen will be transforming one of the town’s oldest streets for its latest activity. ‘Ffordd Ymlaen (Streets Ahead)’ which will bring the bilingual community of Carmarthen together to create a Welsh town like no other.
Working alongside the community and local partners, the group will transform King Street Carmarthen into a lively community destination through 100 days of action. As one of the oldest streets in the town, King Street used to be the heart of Carmarthen where many traders operated, and has a rich history with Roman connections. While it still features independent stores, the traders struggle with marketing the area, due to the number of vacated shops and abandoned buildings.
Ffordd Ymlaen (Streets Ahead) will bring together groups, individuals, mental health organisations, local artists and creative minds to create a vibrant, forward-looking street. The aim is to create a diverse community of all ages, ethnicities, languages, business owners, community volunteers and schools, who will build pride in the area and use creativity to make King Street cleaner, greener, resilient, and better connected. The group envisage transforming the area through artwork and decorations, while regaining a sense of place by emphasising its unique culture and history, developing King Street’s ‘unique selling point’ as an ‘independent treasure trove of culture, legends, and myths’.
The project was born from the community feedback that LocalMotion received from its ‘Llais Caerfyrddin’ project, a series of events hosted throughout summer 2022 that spoke to residents about their hopes and dreams for Carmarthen. The responses found that residents felt the town looked ‘sad and tired’ and that Carmarthen needed an uplift.