Tenby town council are exploring further options to allow people to remember loved ones in some of the resort’s public gardens.

At a recent meeting of the town council, Clr. Mrs. Sue Lane who is also chair of the Tenby in Bloom committee, gave an update to members on the Paragon Gardens.

With a replacement shelter in the pipeline for the site which overlooks the South Beach, talks came onto memorial benches that are placed around the resort.

With budget constraints on gardening maintenance hindering the upkeep of flowerbeds in the Paragon Gardens, last year a First World War commemorative bench was introduced, forming a focal point of the garden’s revamp, along with a semi circle bench, depicting WWII in the top garden.

It is also planned that a historical information board from Tenby Museum will eventually be housed at the gardens as well.

It was noted at the meeting that the town council and Pembrokeshire County Council receive a high number of requests for memorial benches during the year, with most tending to be for areas such as the Harbour, Castle Hill and the Esplanade, but some for inside gardens.

An option could be that those requests could be responded to with a suggestion that they could buy one of these decorative benches (like the WW1 and WW2 benches) in memory of a loved one, Clr. Mrs. Lane suggested.

“There are many different designs of flora and fauna and they are very attractive,” said Clr. Mrs. Lane, in touting that this idea could be explored.

Clr. Mrs. Christine Brown believed that it was a brilliant suggestion, with the Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Sam Skyrme-Blackhall agreeing that this could be lovely idea for the town.

It was also suggested that other items throughout Tenby’s gardens could be utilised and dedicated to someone’s memory, as another way of meeting requests, and also supporting gardens in those locations.

The town clerk Andrew Davies said that PCC provided the memorial benches and apparently there were around 30 memorial benches/plaques waiting to be positioned around the town.

He said that the Paragon gardens was an option for the town council to be involved in, as was the Jubilee but he felt he would have to liaise with PCC as it was their responsibility to position in certain areas.

The Mayor also suggested that Tenby New Cemetery could be an ideal location and was under the town council’s control.

Clr. Mrs. Lane also suggested that as flower beds have been reduced and lost in the War Memorial garden, metal poppies could be placed in certain areas in that location, in memory.

She asked that the town council look into this in more detail and then make a list of what provision is available.