A touching tale of a family’s mission to fulfil one of the last requests of an 82-year-old woman has been told this week – solving a mystery at the same time.

One of the last wishes of Veronica Pratt was to see her collection of gnomes and garden ornaments grace a roadside roundabout.

So the day after her funeral, her grandchildren gathered at Penblewin roundabout, on the A40 near Narberth, to create a display amongst the daffodils before returning to their homes in various parts of the UK.

A giant gnome, birds, animals, fairies, boots and plaques spent a happy weekend delighting passers-by, before they were removed on Monday by Pembrokeshire County Council, acting on the instructions of the Trunk Roads Agency.

Following the Western Telegraph’s story last week (‘A40 gnome invasion is hard one to figure’) about the mysterious appearance of the figures, Mrs Pratt’s family admitted their part.

Said her son, Alan, who lives in Glasgow: “My mum lived in south west Wales, and more recently the Clynderwen area, for more than 30 years.

“She had a long and well-travelled life, during which she collected gnomes and ornaments from all over the country, each one of which held special memories for her.

“Mum always commented on how lovely the Penblewin roundabout was, especially in the spring when the flowers came into bloom, and we think this is why she wanted her collection placed there.

“She also loved the Preseli mountains, so her grandchildren hid some of the smaller gnomes in among the Bluestones!”

Pembrokeshire County Council took in Mrs Pratt’s cherished collection at its roads depot in Templeton, from where Mr Pratt is hoping they can be re-gnomed.'