On Saturday Nia Griffith MP, welly boots on and spade in hand, went up to a site near Ffos Las to joinin planting trees alongside other volunteers under the guidance of the Woodland Trust. The site has been acquired by the Woodland Trust to plant a lasting memorial to WW1. With plans for 90,000 native trees and a blaze of wild flowers, including the symbolic Flanders poppy, this will provide a lasting place, permanently accessible to the public, for quiet contemplation and reflection.
Commenting on her morning out in the open, Nia Griffith said,
“I was very pleased to be able to make a practical contribution to the planting of this memorial woodland. Since last year many of you will have attended or watched on television the various events that have been held to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, and you cannot fail to have been struck by the sheer scale of the loss of life from every town and village across the Country, with much greater involvement of the home communities than in any war before. Locally men and women were working in the dirty and dangerous work in the munitions factory in Pembrey. Yet the memory of these commemorative events will soon fade. That is why I was pleased to hear that the Woodland Trust plans to plant a lasting memorial to WW1 – four areas of Centenary Woods, one in each of the home nations, and particularly delighted that the area chosen for Wales is on our doorstep, between Ffos Las and Carway. The plan of the layout looks very attractive, and I was also privileged to see plans for a memorial sculpture – a horse, a reminder of the role of war horses and pitponies. I look forward to seeing the trees grow. ”