A gardener who has tended some of Cardiff's best loved parks and gardens for more than five decades is finally hanging up his tools. Mark West, known as Westy, has worked for the council's parks department since he was a teenager but is retiring this week after 51 years of service.
Having started out as a 15-year-old trainee in 1972, Mark later became the head gardener at Bute Park before taking on the role of supervisor. His job has not only seen him garden the popular city-centre park, but his remit also includes Gorsedd Gardens, Cathays Park, the Civic Centre and countless others that he has worked in as the city has changed around him.
The 66-year-old has worked two-and-a-half days a week as a supervisor, spending "90% of the time" outside, tending to parks and gardens across the capital However, he has now decided that the time is right to call it a day after decades of service to the council and the city.
