Wales and Europe give garden project joint endorsement
The National Assembly for Wales, led by its Presiding Officer, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, and the European Commission, represented by Andy Klom, EC Representative to Wales and Head of the EC Office in Cardiff, are to visit the country’s latest tourist attraction, Cowbridge Physic Garden on Thursday November 29th (10.00 a.m.).
The half-acre site, developed from the derelict remains of the kitchen garden of the former Cowbridge grammar school, in the town’s Church Street, was completed in little over two years at a cost of £310,000, more than a third of which was provided by means of a grant under the Community’s Article 33 funding, designed to create and renew community projects across the land.
Already, visitors to the garden have far exceeded expectations of around 15-20,000 in a full year; in its first seven months the garden has seen more than 33,000 visitors pass through its gates.
Lord Elis-Thomas said, “This enterprise perfectly demonstrates what can be achieved through our association with the European Commission. It is a delightfully enterprising scheme with much more to come as its reputation grows.
There’s every good reason to expect that it will stake its claim to be one of the most attractive visitor locations in South Wales within a very short period of time.
“It is enhancing the reputation of Cowbridge in a way that is wholly beneficial to the region and is a place in which we can all take pride.”
Andy Klom said, "This is agood example ofthe European Union bringing economic and funding support to thelocal level, for the benefit of local communities and beyond. It isgreat to see a creative project such as thishelping with the healing process of regeneration in Wales,which also shows the importance of"blooming" communitieswithin the EU. Though often criticised, just ask yourself: if Europe is supporting you, is it such as bad thing to support Europe?"
The project was completed on time and on budget, opening its doors as a walled garden in March this year. Twelve beds, surrounding a central fountain, are divided into parterres filled with medicinal plants from the Georgian era, pre-dating 1800.
Physic gardens in the UK were first developed in monasteries and abbeys to propagate plants for curative purposes, laying the foundation to modern medical science. The garden contains two summer-houses, a pergola, ogee arches, a Pope’s urn, a sundial and other features to delight the eye. Admission is free of charge.
Garden Chairman, Dan Clayton-Jones said, “We’re immensely grateful to the Assembly government and to the European Commission for their support and encouragement. People tell us it is the best thing to have happened to Cowbridge for generations, a claim with which I can find no fault.”