Welsh shop claims it cannot return to former home as it opposed tree felling

Nation.Cymru Staff

An independent shop in south Wales says it has been told it cannot return to its former home because it opposed controversial plans to fell trees at the site.

Spirit of Awen, a crystal and spiritual gift shop in Caerleon, is run by practising druid Alun Evans and his wife Grace who took over the business around 20 years after it first opened in the town. 

The shop, which has been called ‘Caerleon’s little shop of magic’, is currently trading from a temporary storefront on Cross Street, though it has traditionally been based at Ffwrwm Caerleon.

Ffwrwm Caerleon occupies an 18th century walled garden built on the site of the Porta Praetoria, the main gate of the ancient Roman Legionary fortress. Beginning in 1990, local GP Dr Russell Rees began acquiring buildings facing the courtyard to transform the area into a sculpture garden. 

It now features some 100 wood and metal sculptures, themed around the Mabinogion, Arthurian legend, and the town’s Roman heritage, as well as several craft workshops, an art gallery, and an award-winning restaurant.

Following the death of Dr Rees and his wife Gillian, Ffwrwm was acquired by a company, Highmore Investments Ltd, in 2025, which closed the site in preparation for a series of refurbishments.

All traders at Ffwrwm were required to move out for the six-month refurbishment project in May 2026, with the move expected to be temporary.

The work included the pruning and felling of a number of trees in Ffwrwm’s walled garden, within the Caerleon Conservation Area, including a willow, yew, Scots pine and two rowans. The plans were submitted to Newport City Council under application 26/0444.

Highmore Investments Ltd’s application said the works were “necessary, proportionate, and in the interest of public safety and long-term site management”, and proposed planting shrubs to “maintain the character of the conservation area”.

Community groups, including Friends of Ffwrwm, claimed that aside from the willow none of the trees were “diseased, dying, or dangerous” and only aesthetic reasons were given for their proposed felling.

They urged others to object to the planning application, which received over 100 comments, and subsequently organised a protest in July 2026. Clooties — strips of cloth carrying blessings traditionally tied by holy wells and sacred trees — bearing the first names of objectors were tied to Ffwrwm’s gates.

On 3 September, Friends of Ffwrwm said the ribbons had been removed, explaining: ‘We felt we had made our point, and that now is the time to give the owners the space to decide on the best course of action.’

Alun Evans of Spirit of Awen also voiced opposition to the proposed felling, telling the South Wales Argus: “We’re hoping to save the trees because people like to sit under them, to read, and to study here. You’ve got to think of this as one whole space, not just separate pieces you can take away from the whole.”

However, Spirit of Awen has now claimed it was told by the new owner that it would not be invited to return to its former shop because it had opposed the tree felling.

On 25 September, Spirit of Awen said that though they were feeling “very positive about the future” for the shop, their relocation sale had drawn questions and concerns from the community.

They wrote: “We had final confirmation the other day from the new owner of Ffwrwm Caerleon that they will not be inviting us back to our old shop. They told us this is because we opposed the felling of the Ffwrwm trees. We knew this was the likely outcome when we decided to organise our objection, so it isn’t unexpected.

“The trees have now been felled and the hedge and children’s mural removed. The owners have recently applied for a change of use for the shop units to allow food to be sold from them.

“Meanwhile our time in our temporary shop on Cross Street is coming to an end at the end of October, which means we must move out. We always knew it was a short term arrangement, which we’ve been immensely grateful for.”

Spirit of Awen’s owners shared their intentions to take the winter months off to travel, rest and reflect, and said they did not expect to be able to stay in Caerleon, but reassured customers they were “following up a few leads on what we want to do next”.

Highmore Investments Ltd has been contacted for comment.

Keep up to date with Spirit of Awen by signing up to their newsletter on their site here.

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