National Garden of Wales launches Growing the Future project

A new five-year project which will partly focus on helping to save pollinators is being launched at the National Garden of Wales.

The attraction in Llanarthney, Carmarthenshire, has received £2.3m for its Growing the Future programme.

It will see seven new jobs created and aims to "champion" Welsh horticulture, protect wildlife and highlight the benefits of growing plants for food.

The garden's head of science Dr Natasha de Vere called the project "fantastic".

It follows a pilot which ran between 2012 to 2015 and trained more than 5,000 people in planting, sowing and growing.

"Gardens and gardening are part of our way of life and have an incredible amount to offer in terms of health and fitness, as wildlife habitats and as places to secure our food supply," she said.

"Growing the Future will look at all of these aspects with a special focus on training and engagement."

She added: "One of the key elements will be to harness the cutting-edge research into helping save pollinators in Wales currently being carried out by the garden's science team."

Along with training courses for adults and children, the project will also host festivals, conferences, shows and family activities.

The funding was awarded by the Welsh Government's rural communities and development scheme.

Environment Secretary Lesley Griffiths said it would help showcase "the diversity and quality of Welsh horticultural produce".