When Tenby Town Council were informed by Pembrokeshire County Council last November that, due to budget cuts affecting manpower and access issues, they would no longer be in a position to maintain the flowerbeds on the town’s Paragon Gardens, councillors were faced with a major dilemma.

Unless they could find a low maintenance solution, there was a distinct possibility that access to popular seafront garden overlooking St Catherine’s Island would be locked off permanently to the public.

When an appeal for ideas from the public came to naught, town councillor and chair of Tenby in Bloom, Clr. Mrs. Sue Lane came up with a proposal to turn some of the beds into decorative stone features and create a larger seating area.

“Members of the town council agreed with my suggestion to turn the flower beds on the lower tier into beds of decorative stones and chippings which would require little or no maintenance,” Clr. Mrs. Lane explained.

For the top tier, directly overlong the island, the council agreed to remove the two flowerbeds and replace them with cobbled setts to match the rest of the area.

This would allow more seating to be installed.

“Since the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War in 2018 we have been considering installing a commemorative bench but were struggling to find a suitable location,” she continued.

“Removing the flowerbeds gave us the space for this and also to install another bench marking the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War this year.

“It was decided to make the benches the focal point of the top tier to surround a central plant

“Sadly, the existing plant that was in the garden could not be saved but a new one has been installed inside the two half-moon benches to create a circular seating area.

“There was some concern about what was happening when work started, but hopefully people will be pleased with the result,” said Clr. Mrs. Lane, adding that there were also plans to install an interpretive board outlining the part played by Tenby during the wars and the town council hoped to work with Tenby Museum on this in the near future.

“What we hope we have created is not a Garden of Remembrance, but a garden to remember, a place where people can sit and perhaps reflect on the sacrifice those from this town, and elsewhere, have made,” she said.