Discover The Secrets Of Our Peat Bogs

People with an interest in history and nature will enjoy a day of activities to discover the ancient secrets held in Carmarthenshire’s peat bogs. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The event will be held at the National Botanic Garden Wales on Saturday, September 17, as part of the HLF-funded Carmarthenshire Bogs Project. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Visitors will be able to study peat samples taken from a local bog, which holds the secrets to 10,000 years of local history. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Dyfed Archaeological Trust and storytellers will bring to life the early people who lived when the bogs were young and are still forming. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Talks will show why peat bogs are so important to us all, explaining their importance as a wildlife habitat, sink for carbon, store for water and source of information on the history of our landscape and the people who lived there.
Visitors will learn how to help our peat bogs by using peat-free compost, as peat compost is one of the major threats to peat bogs. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

There will also be craft sessions – visitors can have a go at making a clay pot or a shale pendant using prehistoric technologies, and Swansea Print Workshop will be on hand to help people make a print of the pollen grains they have seen under microscopes. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Isabel Macho, Carmarthenshire County Council’s biodiversity officer, said: “This is a great opportunity for people to discover how amazing peat bogs are. This HLF project is allowing us to unlock the fascinating history of the plants and landscape that developed over thousands of years in our local area.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​