green events

are par for

the course
1 March An Ev
ening with T
erry Walton
:
Radio 2 Allot
ment Doctor
Cwmyoy vil
lage hall
MAKING A
(map ref A3)
monmouthshiregreenweb.co.uk/
llanthonygardenclub DIFFERENCE
27 March South W
ales Three Peaks T
rial By his own admission,
Abergavenny (map ref B4)
threepeakstrial.co.uk Alan Morgan is an ‘eco-warrior’
first but his livelihood for the past
2 May International Dawn Chorus Da
y
25 years has been farming. His
Newport Wetlands (map ref B7)
rspb.org.uk
achievements at Gadr Farm, near Raglan
15 May big
black Mountains Challenge

(map ref C5), have resulted in several
Abergavenny (map ref B4)
longtownmr
t.org.uk
environmental awards. He has restored
13 June open F
arm Sunda
y at Gadr Far
m
hedgerows to encourage dormice, built ponds
(map ref C5)
farmsunday.org complete with ‘newt hotels’ and protected
13-15 August
Croissant Neuf Summer P
arty
veteran trees in his ancient woodland.
Near Usk (m
ap ref B5). W
inners of a G
reener Festiv
al School groups visit his farm regularly for
Award 2009,
organisers h
arness solar a
nd wind ene
rgy pond-dipping and his farm is featured in the
to generate all their power onsite.
partyneuf.co.uk annual Abergavenny Food Festival walks.
In this International Year of
Biodiversity, get a glimpse of how
one man’s efforts are greening
the landscape during Open Farm
Sunday on 13 June.
farmsunday.org
blooming
marvellous
We have more than our fair share of green-
fingered enthusiasts, tending everything from
gobsmacked
neat plots around town-houses to internationally
recognised gardens. Take the Grade I listed
National Geographic’s Traveler Magazine recently ranked Wales
gardens at Dewstow House dewstow.com
seventh out of 133 iconic tourist destinations from across the globe.
(map ref C7). Or Veddw House, ‘the most
The findings were the result of a survey by sustainable tourism experts.
controversial garden in Wales’, according to
Wales was noted as being in excellent shape, relatively unspoiled and
Helena Attlee, The Telegraph (28/2/09)
likely to remain so! After all, Wales is one of the few administrations in
veddw.co.uk (map ref C6). There are community-
the world to have sustainable development as a statutory commitment
F
A
IR TRA
D
E

F
IR
ST
based ventures such as Llanfoist Open Gardens
within its constitution, and our ecological footprint is lower
(map ref A4) and Llanthony & District Gardens
than the UK average. The experts did note that one downside
Wa
les b
eca
me
the
worl
d’s
firs
t
(map ref A3). They’ve followed the lead of Usk
was the ‘rainy weather’ but loved the ‘verdant’ surroundings.
Fair
Tra
de na
tion
ba
ck in June
(map ref B5), a village which has been florally-
Can’t really get one without the other, can you?
2008,
follo
wing a c
amp
aign to

minded for years. Its Open Gardens weekend
One panellist commented, ‘I was gobsmacked by the
incre
ase t
he
avai
labi
lity
of
Fair

(26-27 June) attracts over 3,000 visitors
beauty of the Welsh countryside’. We think he visited
the Wye Valley & Vale of Usk.
Tra
de pro
ducts
acro
ss Wa
les
and to

(far more than the local population) to view
twenty or so gardens. Seemingly, every surface,
enco
urag
e sc
hoo
ls, bu
sine
sses
and
from windowsills to lampposts, is adorned with
othe
r or
gani
sati
ons to
swit
ch
flowers. Not surprising, then, that Usk has such
more to explore



to
Fair
Tr
ade pro
ducts.


an enviable reputation for winning prizes in breconbeacons.org

f
a
ir
trad
ewales.co
m
the Wales in Bloom and Britain in Bloom monmouthshiregreenweb.co.uk
competitions. llanfoist-open-gardens.co.uk newport.gov.uk/countryside
monmouthshiregreenweb.co.uk/llanthonygardenclub sustrans.org.uk
uskopengardens.com wyevalleyaonb.org.uk
visitwyevalley.com 21
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