Hanging proudly around our county there is bunting, home made bunting, lots of it, in fact it now measures a mile, writes Sharron Hardwick.

In a time of isolation, with people cut off from friends and family, communities found new ways to connect. Becky Lloyd had an idea to make bunting to brighten up communities in a dark time. As Becky collaborated with others, this ignited a bunting sewing spark, starting with a small group in Fishguard, as part of Transition Bro Gwaun’s Waste Busting Activities Project.

Up-cycling old material, people stitched bunting and displayed it in their gardens, and it literally grew and grew. Each stitch was like a community connection.

“The idea is simple, to make bunting to hang up on our homes, ready to string up along our local High Street when the lockdown is over, to celebrate community resilience, hope and creativity, while supporting the independent High Street businesses struggling at this time. Because all the bunting should be made from unwanted clothes and fabric it’s great for the environment too! What’s not to love? Come on Pembrokeshire, let’s get sewing!” said Becky Lloyd.

The idea caught on and people across the county and beyond started stitching bunting. If you take a walk or drive out you will see it.

Groups in Fishguard and Goodwick, Narberth, St. Davids, Solva and Kilgetty remained connected, keeping each other updated as they counted and recorded the length of each bunting display. Tallying up the bunting lengths, the group’s running total is now a mile in Pembrokeshire!

Fishguard and Kilgetty are leading the way on the bunting-making front. Bunting makers have shared their displays on line, Wendy Morse in Kilgetty made a video, others took pictures. Wendy, Karen Brace and Vanessa Atkinson have worked hard to decorate the fence around Kilgetty Community Garden. With your help they could compete the task!

“It’s an amazing story and it links us all together in a unique and fun way. At the beginning of lockdown ‘4TheRegion’ in Swansea collaborated and set up a regional Facebook Group Hub to link us all up and record how many metres each group across our region was making. However, a Pembrokeshire Bunting Challenge Group has also now been set up as Pembrokeshire has recorded a mile in its own right!” shared Becky.

Becky and the group hope the Pembrokeshire Bunting Challenge will allow visitors to join in too. As the bunting stitchers now emerge from lockdown they want to hang it out as our shops welcome visitors and be proud of our communities. They have also devised a spin-off project where you can send in a piece of commemorative lockdown bunting which will be stitched together and made into an artwork which will be exhibited for all to see.

“I really want to celebrate what people have done and we’re keen to donate bunting to shops as they open in celebration. Please join the Pembrokeshire Hub and invite others to join to help spread the word. We hope people will enter and then we will have a commemorative piece to mark, symbolise and celebrate what we’ve been through, what we have achieved and what we love and have been united by. ”

Community Bunting Challenge – Kilgetty: https://www.facebook.com/