ORGANISERS of a Towy Valley Christmas attraction have been forced to cancel as a result of Welsh Government restrictions.

Light Up Wales, at Golden Grove, was set to take place around the park's arboretum.

Organisers had employed marshalls and created a one-way walking system around the 11 acre site, with time-slots for visits to ensure appropriate social distancing could be maintained.

But, as it was classed under Welsh Government regulations as an event and not an attraction, the organisers, a Llandeilo-based company called Fresh Productions, have been informed that they would be limited to 30 adults on-site, despite their work to ensure it could be run safely.

The restrictions has seen the attraction unable to run financially and organisers have been forced to cancel.

Adam Price, Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr has criticised the Welsh Government on the inconsistency of their regulations for events and attractions over the festive period.

He said the decision was "disappointing" and "flies in the face of common sense thinking".

Mr Price added: "The team at Golden Grove and Fresh Productions have worked diligently to maximise the safety aspects of this festive attraction, and I completely share their frustrations.

"The arboretum is an internationally recognised attraction, and the Light Up Wales plans served to enhance what was already an existing attraction, with built-in safety functions that would ensure a safe trip for all. A measured response from the Welsh Government that applied common sense instead of being overly reliant on technicalities would have seen this to be obvious.

"The fact that Light Up at the Golden Grove has now had to be cancelled, but other festive events in Cardiff are going ahead, will cause communities in Carmarthenshire to wonder why it is once again one rule for the capital and another rule for us.”

Ben Harding, Director of Fresh Productions, said: “As Light Up Wales, we wanted to give you something to look forward to - a positive end to such a difficult year.

"From day one we have been in close conversation with Carmarthenshire County Council (CCC) and the Welsh Government to ensure that at every stage we were adhering to Government Regulations to keep everyone safe.

"Despite many positive conversations over the previous few months with both the Welsh Government and CCC a decision has now been made that Light Up cannot proceed this year. We have been given no choice but to close the attraction down.

"We are absolutely gutted that it has come to this, and have tried everything to adhere to every rule and regulation. Unfortunately it would seem that despite our best efforts, the fear of further spikes has meant that we are just another attraction that cannot go ahead this year.

"We are overwhelmed with the response that we have had since we announced Light Up last month, we cannot thank our patrons enough. We are also very grateful for the support of Gelli Aur, CCC and Adam Price MS who have been a great help during these discussions and fighting our corner.”