Garden board is growing

The National Botanic Garden of Wales is delighted to announce the appointment of two new trustees.

The first ever Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales, Professor John Harries, and Cadw’s former Inspector of Historic Parks and Gardens, Dr Elizabeth Whittle have joined the board.

Chairman of the Garden’s board Mr Rob Jolliffe and Director Dr Rosie Plummer described the new arrivals as “tremendous boon” for the strategic oversight of the Carmarthenshire charity.

Dr Plummer said: “We have such an excellent and diverse range of talents on our board already, but these appointments really add to that breadth of knowledge and experience in the areas of science and heritage.”

She added: “I would like to take this opportunity to offer both Prof Harries and Dr Whittle a very warm welcome to the team.”

Prof John Harries, originally from Aberavon, is Emeritus Professor of Physics at Imperial College in London. He and his wife, Sheila, now live in Penarth. He has held senior posts in government and academia, at the National Physical Laboratory, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Imperial College, and, until April 2013, served as the first Chief Scientific Adviser to the Welsh Government. He is an atmospheric physicist with experience in satellite studies of the Earth and its climate. He and his group have detected the first clear signals from space of the growth of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and their global effect on the Earth’s climate.

Dr Liz Whittle is a garden historian who was intimately involved with establishing and listing of the Garden’s regency landscape. She has wide knowledge of an experience with the historic parks and gardens of Wales, having recently retired from her Welsh Government (Cadw) post as Inspector of Historic Parks, Gardens and Landscapes, which she held for 21 years. She has written a book and many articles on Welsh historic parks and gardens. She is currently President of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust and a Trustee of the Nelson Garden, Monmouth.

* The National Botanic Garden of Wales opened in May 2000 – the first national botanic garden to be created in the new millennium. The Garden is a charity which receives financial support from the Welsh Government. The Garden’s mission to inspire, educate and conserve has not only made it a beautiful place to visit but a fascinating and relevant one too.

The Garden is open from 10am to 6pm. Admission is £8.50 (concessions £7) for adults and £4.50 for children. For more information, go to www.gardenofwales.org.uk email info@gardenofwales.org.uk or call 01558 667149