Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure – in the Senedd at 2:15 pm on 5 October 2016.
Well, I very much welcome the positive news from the garden. It’s great to hear that visitor figures and membership have increased. Of course, the garden has taken advantage of Welsh Government schemes such as the Year of Adventure and also the funding that we provide annually to ensure that more people are attracted to the garden, not just once, but on a repeated basis. That’s why I think membership numbers are particularly pleasing. All partners—all partners—including Welsh Government and Carmarthen county council, agree that the garden is a hugely valuable asset to Carmarthenshire’s tourism offer. But reducing budgets mean that an open-ended commitment to future funding is not sustainable, and so there is a need, and I’m glad to see that the garden is responding to this, to continue that drive for a greater commercial success.