A FORMERLY unloved fountain in a Torfaen park has been given a new lease of life by a group of green-fingered volunteers.

Members of the Friends of Fishponds Park – also known as Panteg Park –in Griffithstown have transformed the water feature back to its previously pristine condition.

Committee member Gareth Herbert said the group was formed after a perceived lack of impetus from Torfaen council in maintaining the park.

“We started the Friends of Fishponds Park group around two years after we noticed that grass and hedges were not cut as regularly as we thought was required by the council,” he said.

“We started off just tending to the flowerbeds but last year, we turned our attention to the fountain.”

The group is made of just volunteers and the gang meet for two hours each Saturday in the park between the hours of 10am and midday.

“I don’t want to even imagine the number of hours that members have given to working on the park since we started,” said Mr Herbert.

Refurbishing the fountain involved removing hundreds of fish from the feature, which has become a regular feature of the Griffithstown park, with the fountain fully renovated by September last year.

However, according to Mr Herbert, the creation of the park friends group has created an additional benefit to the area.

“Whether the council could not or would not to the work is a different matter entirely – the fact that we have created the group has really galvanised us into action,” he said.

“I must say that we have great support from our three local councillors in the Panteg ward.

“It has generated a great community spirit. People from the area who would normally just say hello to one another have become friends through this work.”

Mr Herbert added that the bowls club has grown in membership since the friends group was created, and the volunteers already have their next project in mind.

“We were fortunate that the park was received a green flag which is a great honour,” he said.

“Our next plan is re-tarmac the pathways in the park and we estimate that that should cost around £22,000.”

Cllr John Cunningham, Torfaen’s executive member for neighbourhoods, praised the involvement of the volunteers in improving the park’s atmosphere.

Cllr Cunningham said: “We are committed to creating a clean, green borough for our residents and encourage and support everyone to play their part in helping us achieve this.

“The Friends of Fishpond Park is an excellent example of a group that has come together to enhance their local park for the good of their community, and they must be commended for their hard work which has earned the park a prestigious Green Flag Award.

“We want to support more people to help improve their local area and if anyone is interested in finding out more about setting up a community group or volunteering then I would urge them to get in touch,” added the Upper Cwmbran ward member.