Caerphilly Observer
Member Sign in Manage Membership
Become a Member - no ads
Menu
  • News
    • Senedd
    • Business
    • Newport
    • Opinion
  • Sport
    • Rugby union
    • Football
  • Membership & Subscriptions
  • Notices
  • Obituaries
  • About
    • Advertise
  • Sponsored Content
Menu

Five-Year-Old’s heartwarming letter gives thanks for town’s handmade floral displays

News | Emily Janes | Published: 14:31, Thursday June 22nd, 2023.
Last updated: 13:46, Thursday June 29th, 2023

Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

Oliver, five, with his mother Anne-Marie

A Bargoed boy has written a letter to express his thanks for the colourful displays of handmade flowers put up throughout the town. 

Oliver Powell, five, has written an open letter delivered to Bargoed Town Council thanking people for creating knitted and crocheted floral displays. 

In his letter, Oliver wrote: “To the people making the flowers, thank you for doing that. You are nice, I am very happy.

“To the people who put the flowers up, thank you for doing it. I am very happy. 

“The flowers are great.”

Anne-Marie Spiller, 35, Oliver’s mother, told Caerphilly Observer more about Oliver’s motivations and said: “He saw them last year and loves them. 

“He loves going on a hunt every day to see if there’s any more.” 

Anne-Marie is a volunteer who has crocheted and sewed flowers herself and said Oliver is “very into nature” and tends to have a particular favourite. 

She continued: “He especially loves one with bees on.”

The letter, written in Oliver’s own words, is now on the notice board in the town council building. 

Speaking about the letter, Anne-Marie said: “There’s been a lot of feedback.

“Lots of people have been praising it.”

The handmade displays have been made by volunteers from organisations including Cartref Community Hall and can be seen in Bargoed and Aberbargoed.

Oliver likes to head out and hunt for new flowers

This is part of greater efforts to make the area a place to visit, with the town being entered into Wales in Bloom alongside Bargoed in Bloom – a competition where businesses decorate their exteriors, run by Murray’s Bar and Grill.

Cllr Dawn Ingram-Jones, who represents Bargoed ward and is also a county councillor for Aberbargoed and Bargoed, said: ”We wanted to show the creative side of our residents.”

Cllr Ingram-Jones added that there are still more displays to go out and that the town has window displays as well as troughs, buckets and fountains of real flowers for people to see. 

There’s a hope that Bargoed will of course win Wales in Bloom and that the efforts will bring people together. 

“It’s a proper community engagement,” added Cllr Ingram-Jones.

The next step for Oliver is to design his own, according to Anne-Marie who said: “They just really put a smile on his face.”

Oliver plans to design his own flower

This article previously stated that Cllr Ingram-Jones was a town councillor for Park.


Sign-up to our daily newsletter


Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts.

Become a member today

Anne-Marie Spiller
Anne-Marie Spiller
Anne-Marie Spiller

Latest News

  • Renewed calls for metal safety barriers on ‘notorious’ stretch of roadTuesday, January 13, 2026
  • Caerphilly County Borough Council's headquarters in Tredomen
    Residents’ views sought on council’s budget proposalsTuesday, January 13, 2026
  • A yellow rain warning has been issued by the Met Office for Thursday January 15
    Yellow weather warning for rain issued by Met OfficeTuesday, January 13, 2026
  • Labour MS Carolyn Thomas
    Screening crisis: 15,000 ‘missing’ women at risk of breast cancer in WalesTuesday, January 13, 2026
  • Campaigners claim Ffos y Fran mine firm can afford £91m site restorationMonday, January 12, 2026
  • Cabinet backs draft budget proposals including council tax riseMonday, January 12, 2026

Find out how the communities of Caerphilly County Borough get their names

Caerphilly

Legal & Public Notices

  • Caerphilly County Borough Council public noticesThursday, January 8, 2026
  • Caerphilly County Borough Council public noticesThursday, December 11, 2025
  • Caerphilly County Borough Council public noticesThursday, November 27, 2025
  • Notice of application for a premises licence: Darts Dungeon, BargoedThursday, November 27, 2025
© 2009-2024 Caerphilly Media Ltd, Caerphilly Miners Centre for the Community Watford Road Caerphilly, CF83 1BJ. Incorporated in Wales No. 07604006.