"It's such a privelege to work in this beautiful part of the world on the regeneration of the Teifi Estuary and the waterfront of Cardigan.

We have been improving facilities to enhance this great natural attraction, and helping to create eco-tourism on a river which up to 100 years ago was one of the main arteries of Wales.

The Teifi is open again after many years of decline. Two hundred years ago the port of Cardigan saw the emotional departure of so many people in search of a new life across the Atlantic in the New World.

Among them, it is thought, were the grand parents of the legendary Tennessee distiller Jasper 'Jack' Daniel, and the parents of one of the world's most prominent and influential architects, Frank Lloyd Wright.

At one time, Cardigan outstripped all other British ports except London, Liverpool and Bristol for its international trade links, and it became one of the major ports for migration across the Atlantic, people spending up to three months in treacherous conditions on the way to set up communities in America, Canada and Patagonia.

That economic migration carries on to this day, even though the port has seen little activity in a century. We've been looking to change that, and bring a real focus back to the Teifi and to the port of Cardigan, but this time to attract visitors and local users of the river, to create work and business opportunities that will keep people living and working in the area.

The £2.5m Teifi Estuary Project has taken three years hard work by a number of local and national agencies working together.

We've used funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Assembly Government to create an ideal location for the nature loving boat owner, balancing the needs of 21st century boating with nature conservation - as the entire estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The river Teifi is recognised as an internationally important wildlife site from its source in the Cambrian Mountains to the estuary at Cardigan.

The estuary is important for its variety of bird life and Cardigan Bay has an internationally important population of bottle-nosed dolphins and Atlantic grey seals.

And as well as the natural world, we've also attracted the worlds of technology and the arts. We've been linking pupils from Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi with global communications giant Hewlett Packard on an interactive tourism project that is the world's first bilingual version of its kind.

It is innovations such as this, using the fascinating story of Cardigan's proud maritime history, that will enhance the visitor experience for future generations.

And in the arts, Cardigan is one of only seven UK sites selected for the Channel 4 Big Art Project. We are working with international artist Raphael Lozano Hemmer on an installation that we hope will become a feature on Cardigan's waterfront.

The initial Teifi Estuary project may have reached completion, but I hope the sense of purpose it has created, the spirit of partnership that has been its hallmark throughout, and the dynamism it has engendered in the local community will resonate for years to come."

Article by Jim Evans