You wouldn't think looking at the urban front of the Adamsdown Resource Centre that there is a…read moresecret paradise of willow arches and fresh fruit, veg and flowers within, but there is and it's beautiful. This community garden is just one of the resources the Centre offers you as well as the chance to become involved in maintaining it. If you live in Adamsdown then you are lucky to have such a fantastic resource on your doorstep. Out of the Centre's offices come walks and workshops, classes, meetings, training, festivals and fun days. Their windows are plastered with posters offering a 'free homework club', 'summer woodwork project', the chance to 'sing in a community choir'. ...And they're open to other suggestions, this is a community space, this is your space. If you live in Adamsdown and want to get to know your neighbours, knock on this door, grab a cup of tea and get involved.

This registered charity offers training and experience in music, video, computers and graphics to…read moreyoung people aged 16-25 in the Cardiff area. It aims to help young people recognise their potential and give them a greater sense of self-worth by offering learning opportunities in a relaxed and friendly environment in the heart of the city centre. From photographic and image manipulation courses to video-making taster workshops, it's a hub of musical and other activity. Some young people take longer courses at the centre that lead to qualifications, while others just join in shorter activity workshops or one-off events. There's also a cheap coffee bar based at Grassroots to give young people the chance to drop in to socialise or find out more about what's on offer. There's an advice office, too, providing a free drop-in service covering issues and problems of relevance to young people.

A charity with its heart firmly in the right place, Grassroots is a tireless trainer of arty…read morepursuits to young people. If you're 16-25 and want to get skills and advice in music, video, computers, graphics, photography, performance or the Internet, they can help. Several years back there were also regular lo-fi gigs at its Charles Street base, while a coffee shop remains at the premises, proving Grassroots walks it as well as it talks it.

This is a friendly local centre well-located for most Plasnewydd residents with a well-used indoor…read moresports hall, two badminton courts, and a function and committee room. Parents can hold their kids' birthday parties at the centre, keeping all the mess and chaos well away from their own homes - the centre organises the party for them, and all parents have to do is pick the activity. Bonus. Activities available at the centre include all sorts, from Akido, ballroom dance and fencing club to gymnastics, Kung Fu and Shorinji kempo (a Japanese system for self-improvement and training). With such a wide variety of things on offer at the centre, it's a good place to check out if you're a Plasnewydd resident thinking about taking up a new activity.

This charity shop is one among many along albany road…read more The shop sells charitable donations, for me that mean a rummage around the book section looking for something interesting. The red decor is a brand statement and in keeping with the British Heart Foundations colour scheme. As charity shops go this one is clean uncluttered and is more resembling a modern refurbished shop than a run down charity shop and makes for pleasant shopping. It's a good feeling knowing your purchase will make a contribution to a charity, so buy something.

The British Heart Foundation is one of my favourite charity shops. This one is especially brilliant…read morefor the way it has managed to take on board the recent developments in charity shop running (as I have said before, pushed too far this can be the death of a charity shop) whilst still remaining loyal to its customer base. Most people who shop in charity shops are old; they don't want to be visually assaulted by lurid clothes and shoes. This shop is filled with lovely people, all of whom I think could be either my grannie or my friend, and they have a good range of stock too. I came in here and got some tea towels to make a Halloween costume but they were actually really good quality so we kept them for real use! The prices are great too.

I love The Big Issue! I love everything it stands for and everything that it does! Not only does it…read morehelp unfortunate people get their lives back on track, but the magazine itself is a really useful resource, offering really insightful editorial, a healthy 'what's on' section and a plethora of jobs (usually for the caring trades and charities). When I'm in Cardiff I tend to buy my copy from Daniel, a Romanian father of two, who has been selling The Big Issue just outside Cardiff Central Station for the last two years. You'll find him quite close to the national Express offices and charity shops as you round the corner off Wood Street. These days he says that sales are significantly down, and only manages to sell about six or seven copies a day. With a wife and two children to feed, clothe and house, this is clearly not enough! He's resorted to borrowing from friends over the last few months. I used to know what proportion of the sale price the vendor retains. I think it's around a pound, with a cover price of £1.70. Sellers need to buy the magazines up front, and can return unsold issues with a refund. This avoids any abuse of the system, and helps the drug addicts invest in something a little more constructive. Head office 1-5 Wandsworth RoadVauxhall LondonSW8 2LN

Written by professional journalists and sold by homeless people, the Big Issue Cymru has excellent…read moreintentions. It aims to give the homeless a way of earning an income without simply begging, helping them save enough to get themselves into more stable housing situations, and then assimilate back into mainstream society. It also has a support and counselling arm, helping vendors with a whole host of physical and mental health issues. The publication itself is well-written, and while you might not be interested in every news story or feature, it does cover a good variety of social and environmental issues. I have one big problem with the Big Issue Cymru, though: why do I still see the same vendors on the streets of Cardiff now that were selling the magazine a decade ago? I know some of their faces from when I did work experience there, and I have bought the magazine from many of them over the years, yet still they are on the streets, selling the magazines, and not moving on into permanent housing and a brighter future. I wonder if after a while they start to feel safe being part of a community of Big Issue sellers, and their homeless status is normalised so that they get 'stuck' in that rut rather than moving on? And that surely goes against the aims of the venture. I hope that statistically the majority do move on from being Big Issue sellers, and that it's just a minority that get stuck in this way.

Deals is one of those second hand shops that seems to be springing up all over the place…read more.. especially over the last five years or so. I guess that they are the modern equivalent of the pawn brokers shops, and so instead of dealing in watches and jewellery, ornaments and other valuable items, they specialise in electrical items such as TV's, DVD's, Home Audio, Computers, Games Consoles, Guitars, PA Equipment etc etc... Just like a pawn brokers they also offer secured loans on the stock that they buy and sell. Prices of the items on sale are generally pretty cheap, and so I believe that they only offer the customer who exclusively buys items from Deals real value for money. If you are selling equipment or taking out a loan it's a different story entirely.

One of the worst thing about the recession is the emergence of 'we'll buy your goods for hardly any…read moremoney' shops. The cash for gold ones are the worst; 'have you got any unwanted gold lying around the house?' 'Now you mention in there's unwanted gold all over my house, if only I'd thought of selling it before, my children could have eaten these past two weeks.' Less grabbing than cash for gold, these shops buy things like electrical goods and sell them on for profit. Obviously of you were prepared to advertise the items yourself you'd probably make a great deal more money. As a shopper, the selection here is pretty good. It shows what kind of stuff people are willing to sell off. If you're in the hunt for a television or a hifi and don't mind that when it goes wrong, it's not going back to the shop then this place is for you.