Madam,

Recent press articles ask for suggestions for the improvement of Cardigan’s Gardd Brioude/Brioude Gardens which are adjacent to Cardigan Castle.

When I was there on Thursday, 10 May, five benches were being used by visitors waiting for their bus. So those benches are useful.

However, the significance of Brioude Gardens is not explained to those using its seating.

Here are my suggestions for improvements:

1. Refurbish and repaint the benches.

2. Put a large map of France on the back wall, with an insert map showing the location of Brioude near the city of Clermont-Ferrand and the Massif Central hill region of south-central France. How many can tell where Brioude is actually located, according to the Brioude Gardens?

3. Put photographs and the website address of the Brioude region on the same display boards.

4. State that brochures for Brioude tourism are available at Cardigan Castle.

5. Plant some of the raised flowerbeds with the national flower of France, the colourful fleur-de-lys iris, along with other flowers connected with France and the Massif Central.

6. Somehow suggest to the people of Brioude that they reciprocate with some sort of similar display of information regarding Cardigan and west Wales.

I can certainly provide them with plenty of our Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park brochures.

Brioude is a long way from the sea. So coastal holidays would interest the people of that area.

The Massif Central is France’s largest permanent grassland region, covering 1.4 million hectares. At 33,000 square miles, it is four times the size of Wales!

In October, it hosts the Sommet de l’Elevage, which the French claim is Europe’s largest livestock show. Royal Welsh Show aficionados may like to investigate that claim!

The famous Limousine breed of beef cattle, now virtually the most popular in Wales, comes from this hill region surrounding Brioude. Therefore, the twinning of Brioude may be of great interest to local Welsh livestock farmers.

Surely Welsh lamb and beef breeders and marketeers can get involved? They may even provide financial help.

I have never seen any of this mentioned over the decades of Cardigan’s twinning with Brioude. I wager that the vast majority of farmers in west Wales have no idea of the farming connections. Should not more be made of these agricultural links through a myriad farming societies and organisations, including the NFU and FUW?

After Brexit, we will need all the friends - and business links - we can get in mainland Europe!

Yours etc,

Lyn Jenkins, Clyn-yr-ynys, Gwbert, Cardigan.

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