It's not often that an eibe playground gets visited by royalty. But that's exactly what happened recently when HRH Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited the National Ponty Lido as part of their summer Welsh tour.
The Lido, renovated in 2015 at a cost of £6.3 million, features a bespoke eibe playspace and has proved a magnetic destination for locals in the Rhondda Valley as well as visiting tourists.
The day was a great success and everybody had the chance to talk with the organisers and architects responsible for the Lido design in the morning; this was followed by a Q and A with the Prince. There was plenty of patriotism and some typically strong Welsh singing outside the play area.
eibe's managing director, Paul Redden, and Ben Neaves, Projects Manager, shook hands with the royals and exchanged comments and thoughts on the play facilities.
Redden was intrigued by Prince Charles' interest and fondness of our wooden equipment: "It was fantastic to have a conversation with him, it was clear he was impressed with what he saw and the creativity associated with the playground. He told me wood had always been his favourite material, to which I wholly concurred, obviously!
"He remarked how popular the playground was and indeed what an affect the whole Lido regeneration had had on the community. He seemed to know the history of the place, the Jenny Jones connection - his knowledge of Welsh heritage was incredible."
