Storytelling, bulb planting, biodiversity and a delicious local lunch all combined to make a day celebrating and improving a local park a spectacular success.

The Celebrate Netpool Park Day took place in Cardigan last Saturday, November 9.

At the beginning of the day, participants were greeted by local storyteller Pam Gaunt in the guise of the ‘Spirit of Netpool Park’. Pam was the master of ceremonies for the day.

Yusef Samari from West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre and Jake Rayson from the Ceredigion County Council Biodiversity Team (who funded the workshop) began the day with a two-hour tour of the Park’s unique habitat.

Participants were astounded by the number of rare fungi in the park, particularly the variety of waxcaps and the very rare earth’s tongue.

Jane Roche from Fisherman’s Rest supplied lunch for everyone at her café, then more volunteers arrived to plant the 1,000 daffodil and bluebell donated by Ceredigion County Council through the Places for Nature grant.

Ben Lake MP, who helped plant the bulbs with the volunteer, expressed surprise at the beauty of the riverside park and said that it deserved to be far better known.

Town councillor Catrin Miles and county councillor Clive Davies also lent a hand planting .

Town Councillor Stephen Greenhalgh kindly entertained those who stayed on for tea, music and storytelling, along with Pete Edwards and Cardigan's open mike nightingale Sue Wales.

Due to the increased publicity this event has generated, the park is now being considered to take part in Glaswelitir Ceredigion, the grassland nature ID Project where schools can visit the park for grassland wildlife observations.

“Friends of Netpool Park were thrilled with the response to the day,” said Friends chairperson Rose Barter.

“The committee would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make the event so memorable.”