Llandeilo statue plan sparks debate
Open letter sent by Simon Buckley to local newspapers regarding the Tywi Afon Yr Oesoedd statue proposals in Llandeilo.
I have read with some interest proposals by the Tywi Afon yr Oesoedd group and Llandeilo Town Council of a plan to erect an Oak statue in the middle of Llandeilo that depicts Lord Rhys or, alternatively, St. Teilo.
The town council is right, in that we need to create a focal point in our town, and if as part of this Towy Valley scheme we can attract inward investment into the town, then great let’s have it!
But don’t let’s have just any old thing because that is all the grant will give us.
Llandeilo has a diverse population of people who have settled here because of the quality of the town and we want to see the town develop into a tourism hub that brings prosperity and jobs to the area.
If we are to have a statue can we not urge our Town Council to think outside the box and create an area that is more than just a chainsaw sculpted piece of Oak?
Our town has a rich history of military service, and we unlike any other town in Wales do not have a memorial to our fallen service people, or an open area where we as a community pay our lasting respect to those that have made the ultimate sacrifice.
I am not suggesting the typical bronze soldier on a limestone plinth, but a piece of sculpture that says more about where our fallen have come from, and that in turn, is a statue that depicts our rural heritage, and forms the central point of a memorial site.
We need more green areas in the middle of town, softer landscaping in our car parks and areas where people who come to Llandeilo can sit down and take in the vista.
Let’s get the basics right and make a lasting contribution to our town.
I am sure that this idea in some quarters will be screamed down as in appropriate, but as Trustee of a national military charity I can say with confidence that the population at large want to be able to show their support for those that have made the ultimate sacrifice.
I am sure that if we need to raise extra funds to top out the proposed £5,000, that we would easily be able to raise further funds to produce something this town would be proud of.
There is the challenge.
I, for one, am prepared to make my contribution to the process of fundraising.
Will our town council choose this route or go with the proposal for an in-appropriate cheap Oak sculpture?
Simon Buckley
Chief executive, Evan-Evans Brewery, Llandeilo.
I have read with some interest proposals by the Tywi Afon yr Oesoedd group and Llandeilo Town Council of a plan to erect an Oak statue in the middle of Llandeilo that depicts Lord Rhys or, alternatively, St. Teilo.
The town council is right, in that we need to create a focal point in our town, and if as part of this Towy Valley scheme we can attract inward investment into the town, then great let’s have it!
But don’t let’s have just any old thing because that is all the grant will give us.
Llandeilo has a diverse population of people who have settled here because of the quality of the town and we want to see the town develop into a tourism hub that brings prosperity and jobs to the area.
If we are to have a statue can we not urge our Town Council to think outside the box and create an area that is more than just a chainsaw sculpted piece of Oak?
Our town has a rich history of military service, and we unlike any other town in Wales do not have a memorial to our fallen service people, or an open area where we as a community pay our lasting respect to those that have made the ultimate sacrifice.
I am not suggesting the typical bronze soldier on a limestone plinth, but a piece of sculpture that says more about where our fallen have come from, and that in turn, is a statue that depicts our rural heritage, and forms the central point of a memorial site.
We need more green areas in the middle of town, softer landscaping in our car parks and areas where people who come to Llandeilo can sit down and take in the vista.
Let’s get the basics right and make a lasting contribution to our town.
I am sure that this idea in some quarters will be screamed down as in appropriate, but as Trustee of a national military charity I can say with confidence that the population at large want to be able to show their support for those that have made the ultimate sacrifice.
I am sure that if we need to raise extra funds to top out the proposed £5,000, that we would easily be able to raise further funds to produce something this town would be proud of.
There is the challenge.
I, for one, am prepared to make my contribution to the process of fundraising.
Will our town council choose this route or go with the proposal for an in-appropriate cheap Oak sculpture?
Simon Buckley
Chief executive, Evan-Evans Brewery, Llandeilo.
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