Demo greets Plaid leader's community garden visit

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood had an unexpected reception when she visited Llangollen Community Garden yesterday (Saturday) morning.

Last week, garden supporters received the news that Denbighshire County Council has decided not to sell off the plot for housing development.

* The posters in Cllr Timms' car windows.

Ms Wood, who was in the area attending the party’s spring conference at the Pavilion, had been invited along to show her support for the project and to speak to members of the community who work on it.

But parked on the road outside the garden was the car of local Labour councillor Graham Timms displaying posters which bore the message, “Don’t  play politics with Llangollen Community Garden. I didn’t.”  

Explaining the reason behind the demonstration, Cllr Timms said: “After six months of hard work to keep the community garden open I was  delighted when the county council finally decided to keep ownership of the site they occupied.

“The garden has proved that it can bring people and communities together.

“Throughout the whole campaign I kept party politics out of the fight for the garden. I never used the small victories in council committees as a victory for Labour. It was a victory for the wellbeing of Llangollen.

“In early March, I made my final speech of a series in Denbighshire County Council’s Assets Committee that agreed to save the garden. 

“It was a great feeling to know that the garden’s future was safe and that the people who had worked so hard would have a long term future on the site.

“I am furious that two weeks after the garden has been given a secure future Plaid Cymru’s leader Leanne Wood arrives to use the garden’s campaign success for party political advantage.

“Whilst I’m delighted that Plaid Cymru have chosen Llangollen for their Spring Conference, I do not welcome their cynical attempt to claim credit for something they plainly have not done.”

He added: “Leanne Wood managed to squeeze past into the garden and spoke to a number of people involved with it.

“I interrupted her TV interview to explain that party politics shouldn't be involved and put my point of view over.”

Plaid Cymru county councillor Mabon ap Gwynfor said: "Plaid Cymru were holding their spring conference in Llangollen and as such Leanne took the opportunity to visit businesses and projects in the area.

"On Saturday she visited the community garden in Llangollen. Leanne wrote a booklet, Greenprint For The Valleys, which discussed how communities should get together to develop projects which were community focussed, environmentally beneficial and sustainable.

"The Llangollen Community Garden Project is exactly the kind of thing that Leanne has been championing.

"The garden was threatened recently and Cllr Times, to his credit, did a lot to assist them.

"Leanne visited to learn from the garden - sharing best practice is essential. But also to congratulate them on their successful campaign.

"As a councillor in Denbighshire I'm certainly inspired by the garden, and am looking at ways to emulate them.

"They're an example to follow and should be celebrated as such. It's a shame that the visit was misconstrued by Graham. Personally I looking forward to continuing to work with Graham on DCC in order to achieve our common goal of improving the lives of people living in Denbighshire."

* Leanne Wood (centre) meets members of the community garden group.