Sustainability and seagrass were celebrated at an innovative community garden  on Saturday (March 29).

Sea Trust held a celebration at Goodwick’s Ocean Lab to formally open its new garden Gardd y Mor.

The garden has been created on the site of the old lighthouse helter-skelter that was controversially removed by Pembrokeshire County Council in 2020 due to safety and maintenance concerns.

(Image: Western Telegraph) Although money was raised to replace the helter skelter, it was instead used to install a porpoise sculpture, with the fundraisers saying it would not be viable for Sea Trust to bear the cost of insuring and maintaining another piece of play equipment.

The sculpture was put in a different part of the parrog and the scar left by the helter skelter remained.

“All that was left there was a hole in the ground,” said Sea Trust Founder, Cliff Benson.

The charity began to remedy this by applying for funding from the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust Force for Nature grant.

(Image: Sea Trust) “We set out to create a biodiverse garden, in an unattractive concrete space, that is accessible to everyone in the local community,” said Sea Trust director Nadia Tomsa.

“A garden that would increase biodiversity, with an educational purpose of raising awareness of the importance of pollination. A place to contemplate the sea and connect with nature.”

The funding covered the cost of the materials but the garden would not have been possible without the help of an army of volunteers.

(Image: Western Telegraph) Garden designer Shani Lawrence offered her services, working with Sea Trust’s volunteer gardener Chris Smith to create a plant list, produce a design and plant the garden.

The structure of the garden was created by Sea Trust’s volunteer maintenance team, John Collins, John Padget, Chris Smith, Peter Sturdges and Rob Williams who built a series of planters and benches to surround the boundary wall opposite the Ocean Lab Café entrance.

The team worked consistently, rain or shine, to get the garden finished.

Sea Trust’s Marine Biology Club and local school children helped build bug apartments and during Saturday’s event the sold cakes and ran games and face painting to raise funds to maintain the garden.

Other Sea Trust volunteers, intern students, and work experience students all contributed to the project. As did Fishguard and Goodwick Greening Group, and many local business who offered discounts and advice.

(Image: Sea Trust) “It really was an incredible team effort,” said Nadia. “We are so grateful to all our amazing volunteers, helpers, and businesses.”

Also on Saturday was the launch of Sea Trust’s new solar panels, funded by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s sustainable Development Fund and Transition Bro Gwaun’s Community Climate Fund.

West Wales company Solar Centric created bespoke fittings to attach the panels to the Ocean Lab’s roof and the 29 large panels are already paying dividends.

“We are using the energy every day,” said Cliff. “Even on dark days there is really good production, and on a sunny day the panels are producing around 85 per cent of the energy used in the café and kitchen at peak time.”

To find out more about Sea Trust and its work, visit the trust's website.