High praise for our volunteers!

Anne May looks forward to a busy year at Parc Esgob (the Bishop’s Park) in Abergwili near Carmarthen

The door to the Walled Garden is temporarily closed to the public. Over the next year, a local firm, David A. Siggery, will carry out manual work behind the four walls. However, the rest of the park will be a hive of activity in 2026.

A small team of staff are employed by the Tywi Gateway Trust, but it would be impossible for us to carry out our work without the support of all our volunteers.

Hopefully this piece will give you a taste of what they've been doing:

Gardening Volunteers - we have a number of gardening volunteers who come to the park every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. In addition to our independent volunteers, two groups of young people attend the park weekly. One group from Canolfan Elfed, Queen Elizabeth High School and another from Coleg Elidyr – they’re all here to enjoy practical work experience, repairing paths, weeding borders and preparing plants for our Plant Fair on May 9th.

Reception Volunteers – this important role requires people who enjoy communicating with visitors. Located at the reception, a typical morning might include welcoming visitors, answering questions, promoting activities being held in the park and keeping the plants and second-hand books area tidy.

Historic Costume Volunteers - from time to time, it's nice to turn back the clock and see how the residents of the Bishop's Palace used to live. Drawing on records from the 1911 Census, we hope to bring some characters from the past back to life. In 1861, a housekeeper, a cook, a head nurse, 2 maids, a kitchen maid, an under nurse, a milkmaid and a footman lived in the palace as well as the Bishop and his family. Volunteers are very busy sewing costumes from the period at the turn of the twentieth century, including the fashionable and the day to day, casual and work clothes.

Trustees - it would be impossible to list all of the responsibilities of our trustees. In short, they jointly make decisions, working according to the terms of the charity's governing document. They are also the volunteers who have ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the charity is run well.

Can you help us find out more about the Palace, the gardens and the people who lived and worked here? We are looking for stories and are keen to publish new material on our website.

To help or contribute, please contact: annemay@tywigateway.org.uk