The voices of people involved with Pembrokeshire’s Stackpole Walled Gardens can be heard as part of a new oral history project which goes live this coming week.

The gardens are home to the Pembrokeshire Mencap horticultural training and work facility, which has provided employment and enjoyment in a healthy environment for many people with disabilities since it was first leased from the National Trust in 1985.

History

The history of the charity’s work at Stackpole and the work of the gardens a century ago to supply produce to the long-demolished Stackpole Court is now being highlighted through the Citizen Curators oral history project.

Western Telegraph: Wild flowers surround the pond in the gardens.Wild flowers surround the pond in the gardens. (Image: Stackpole Walled Garden)

Run by Pembrokeshire Mencap and made possible with National Lottery heritage funding, it is supported by Mencap Cymru and will open to the public on Wednesday March 6.

Interviews

Volunteers have recorded interviews with the Walled Gardens team as well as trustees and local people, providing an archive for the charity and an additional interest for visitors, who will be able to listen to excerpts from the recorded interviews with students on ‘sound posts’ in the gardens.

Western Telegraph: The vineyard is progressing well.The vineyard is progressing well. (Image: Stackpole Walled Garden)

The garden team is now planning for spring, with plots cleared, seeds ordered and planting schemes agreed for the six-acre site.

This year the gardeners’ ‘To Do’ list includes nurturing the newly-planted Stackpole Walled Gardens vineyard. The first vine was planted by Brian, one of the participants who started working on the site nearly 40 years ago.

A year in the planning and thanks to a bequest from the Hywel Davies Trust, the vineyard will provide a new horticultural discipline and, in time, an additional means of raising money to support the great work the charity does.

After learning about the site’s history and strolling round the sheltered grounds, visitors will enjoy coffee and home-made cake at Cawdors Tearoom. It will be open four days a week in March but it is advised to check opening times on the website stackpole-walledgardens.co.uk.

The charity is currently seeking new Trustees. If you are interested in an informal chat about what this involves, please call 01646 661442 or email info@stackpole-walledgardens.co.uk