On Saturday, Cardiff Students’ Union marked 50 years since opening the doors to its Park Place building with a special celebration event attended by over 200 guests, including 21 past SU Presidents, staff, trustees, students, and supporters.
While the Union itself has existed for nearly 130 years, this event celebrated the golden anniversary of the building that has played a central role in shaping student life at Cardiff for five decades. From campaigns to club nights, elections to awards shows, the building has been a home for students to lead, grow, speak up and celebrate.
A Changing Space, a Constant Purpose
The celebration highlighted not only the building’s rich history, but also how it has transformed in scale and ambition. From its early days as a brutalist student hub to its modern role as one of the UK’s largest Students’ Union facilities, the space has grown alongside the students it serves. Recent developments, including the striking new Centre for Student Life entrance, the redesign of key spaces like Y Plas and the Great Hall Balconi space, and the current developments which include addition of solar panels on the roof point to a future as sustainable as it is symbolic.
As SU President Madison Hutchinson said in her welcome, “We believe the building is a huge reason behind our success. It’s been a home for students to lead, to campaign, to celebrate, to grow. We’re not just looking back, we’re recognising how this space has helped us move forward.”
Legacy Projects Unveiled
The evening also saw the launch of several commemorative projects:
- A mural on the Balconi celebrating student life across the years
- A short film capturing the voices and memories of past SU Presidents
- A dedicated 50th Anniversary website, featuring stories, milestones, and images from across five decades
These projects aim to preserve CSU’s past while inspiring future generations of students.
Past Presidents Panel
The event’s centrepiece was a Past Presidents Panel, co-chaired by current President Madison Hutchinson (2024–25) and previous President and current Trustee of CSU, Elliot Howells (2014–15). The panel brought together four influential leaders from across the decades:
- Jeff Cuthbert (President 1974–75): Following his time as SU President, Jeff embarked on a distinguished political career. He served as the Assembly Member for Caerphilly from 2003 to 2016, held ministerial roles in the Welsh Government, and later served as Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner from 2016 to 2024.
- Pat Younge (President 1985–86): A trailblazer in UK media, he went on to become Chief Creative Officer for BBC Television and held senior roles at Channel 4 and the Travel Channel. He is also co-founder of Sugar Films, working to drive inclusion in the industry. Pat is the current chair of Cardiff University Council.
- Dorothea Hodge (President 1995–97): An international political adviser and campaign strategist, she has worked at the highest levels of government and diplomacy, and now leads her own global consultancy, Aequitas Global.
- Cari Davies (President 2013–14): A journalist and reporter for ITV News, she completed a postgraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism in Cardiff and has covered major national and international stories.
Each shared their reflections on how the SU shaped their values, leadership, and career paths, as well as memories of iconic spaces like Solus, the Hanging Gardens, and the Officer Bowl.
Launch of "Ffrindiau CSU"
As part of its anniversary legacy, the SU launched “Ffrindiau CSU” - a new network for former officers, staff, and supporters of the Union. The initiative invites alumni to stay connected and explore ways to give back, whether by mentoring, volunteering, or supporting student-led projects.
Looking Ahead
With record engagement levels, including nearly 71,000 student interactions last year – and a growing team of over 700 staff and student workers, the Union remains a vital space for connection, leadership and community. As SU turnover has doubled to £13 million over the past decade, the building has remained central to the Union’s growth.
But as both Madison and Daniel Palmer, Deputy CEO, reminded the audience, it’s not just the physical space that matters, it’s the people who’ve passed through it and left their mark.
Dydd Sadwrn, fe wnaeth Undeb Myfyrwyr Caerdydd nodi 50 mlynedd ers agor drysau ei adeilad ar Blas y Parc gyda digwyddiad dathlu arbennig wedi’i fynychu gan dros 200 o westeion, gan gynnwys 21 cyn-lywydd, staff, ymddiriedolwyr, myfyrwyr a chefnogwyr.
Tra bod yr Undeb ei hun wedi bodoli ers bron i 130 mlynedd, roedd y digwyddiad hwn yn dathlu hanner canmlwyddiant yr adeilad sydd wedi chwarae rôl ganolog wrth lunio bywydau myfyrwyr yng Nghaerdydd am bum degawd. O ymgyrchoedd i nosweithiau clwb, etholiadau a seremonïau gwobrwyo, mae’r adeilad wedi bod yn gartref lle gall myfyrwyr arwain, tyfu, lleisio eu barn a dathlu.
Gofodau Newydd, a Phwrpas Cyson
TFe wnaeth y dathliad nid yn unig edrych ar hanes cyfoethog yr adeilad, ond hefyd ar sut mae wedi trawsnewid o ran ei faint ac uchelgeisiau. O’i ddyddiau cynnar fel hwb myfyrwyr i'w rôl fodern fel un o gyfleusterau Undeb Myfyrwyr mwyaf y DU, mae’r adeilad wedi tyfu ochr yn ochr â’r myfyrwyr mae’n eu gwasanaethu. Mae datblygiadau diweddar, gan gynnwys Canolfan Bywyd y Myfyrwyr newydd trawiadol y Brifysgol ac ail-ddylunio ardaloedd allweddol megis Y Plas a Balconi’r Neuadd Fawr, ynghyd â datblygiadau presennol megis gosod paneli solar ar y to yn pwyntio tuag at ddyfodol cynaliadwy a llwyddiannus i ddod.
Fel dywedodd Llywydd yr UM, Madison Hutchinson, wrth groesawu pawb i'r digwyddiad, “Credwn fod yr adeilad hwn wedi bod yn allweddol i'n llwyddiant. Mae wedi bod yn gartref lle gall myfyrwyr arwain, ymgyrchu, dathlu, a thyfu. Ac nid edrych yn ôl yn unig a wnawn - rydym yn cydnabod sut mae’r gofod hwn hefyd wedi ein helpu wrth symud ymlaen.”
Dadorchuddio Prosiectau Coffa
Ar y noson, lansiwyd sawl prosiect coffa:
- Murlun ar y Balconi yn dathlu bywyd myfyrwyr ar draws y blynyddoedd
- Ffilm fer yn cynnwys lleisiau ac atgofion cyn-lywyddion yr UM
- Tudalen we hanner canmlwyddiant ,bwrpasol gyda straeon, cerrig milltir, a lluniau o’r pum degawd diwethaf
Nod y prosiectau yma yw cadw cofnod o hanes UMC tra’n ysbrydoli myfyrwyr y dyfodol.
Panel Cyn-Lywyddion
TCanolbwynt y digwyddiad oedd Panel Cyn-Lywyddion, wedi’i gyd-gadeirio gan y Llywydd presennol, Madison Hutchinson (2024-25) a’r Cyn-Lywydd ac Ymddiriedolwr presennol, Elliot Howells (2014-15). Daeth y panel â chwe arweinydd dylanwadol ynghyd o ar draws y degawdau:
- Jeff Cuthbert (Llywydd 1974–75): Yn dilyn ei gyfnod fel Llywydd yr UM, symudodd Jeff ymlaen at yrfa wleidyddol. Gwasanaethodd fel Aelod Cynulliad dros Gaerffili rhwng 2003 a 2016, gan gyflawni rolau gweinidogol yn Llywodraeth Cymru, cyn symud ymlaen i wasanaethu fel Comisiynydd Heddlu a Throseddu Gwent o 2016 tan 2024.
- Pat Younge (Llywydd 1985–86): Arweinydd datblygiadau yn y cyfryngau, aeth ymlaen i fod yn Brif Swyddog Creadigol gyda’r BBC a gweithio mewn sawl swydd bwysig gyda ‘Channel 4’ a ‘Travel Channel’. Gwnaeth hefyd gyd-sefydlu ‘Sugar Films’, gan weithio i hyrwyddo cynhwysiant yn y diwydiant. Pat yw Cadeirydd presennol Cyngor Prifysgol Caerdydd.
- Dorothea Hodge (Llywydd 1995–97): Yn ymgynghorydd gwleidyddol rhyngwladol a strategydd ymgyrchu, mae wedi gweithio ar y lefelau uchaf o lywodraeth a diplomyddiaeth, ac mae nawr yn arwain ei sefydliad ymgynghori rhyngwladol ei hun, ‘Aequitas Global’.
- Cari Davies (Llywydd 2013–14): Newyddiadurwr a gohebydd ar gyfer ‘ITV News’, gwnaeth gwblhau gradd ôl-raddedig mewn Newyddiaduraeth Darlledu yng Nghaerdydd ac mae wedi adrodd ar straeon cenedlaethol a rhyngwladol pwysig.
Fe wnaethon nhw rannu sut wnaeth yr UM lunio eu gwerthoedd, arweinyddiaeth, a gyrfaoedd, ynghyd â’u hatgofion o’r adeilad ac ardaloedd eiconig megis ‘Solus’, ‘The Hanging Gardens’ a Bowlen y Swyddogion.
Lansio "Ffrindiau UMC"
Fel rhan o’r dathliadau, lansiodd yr UM “Ffrindiau UMC” - rhwydwaith newydd ar gyfer cyn-swyddogion, staff, a chefnogwyr yr Undeb. Mae’r fenter yn gwahodd alumni i aros mewn cysylltiad a darganfod ffyrdd o gyfrannu at y sefydliad, boed trwy fentora, gwirfoddoli, neu gefnogi prosiectau myfyrwyr.
Edrych I’r Dyfodol
Gyda lefelau ymgysylltiad ar eu huchaf, gan gynnwys bron 71,000 o gysylltiadau gyda myfyrwyr y llynedd, a thîm cynyddol o dros 700 o staff a myfyrwyr rhan-amser, mae’r Undeb yn parhau i fod yn le hanfodol ar gyfer cysylltu, arweinyddiaeth, a chymuned. Wrth i drosiant yr UM ddyblu i £13 miliwn dros y ddegawd diwethaf, mae’r adeilad yn parhau i fod yn ganolog i dwf yr Undeb.
Ond, fel gwnaeth Madison a Daniel Palmer, Prif Swyddog Gweithredol yr Undeb, atgoffa’r gynulleidfa, nid yr adeilad corfforol yn unig sy’n bwysig, ond y bobl sydd wedi bod ynddo ac sydd wedi gadael eu marc.