Kilvey Hill’s beloved Green Man is back among the trees.
The moss-covered sculpture — which became an unlikely symbol of the row over the Skyline development — has been moved back into the woodland by the volunteers who care for it, months after it was left standing exposed on the cleared construction site.
In February, the figure was pictured standing alone amid felled trees as work began to reshape the face of the hill, with volunteers saying he had effectively been “evicted” from his long-time forest home.
Now he has been relocated to a quieter woodland spot away from the main construction area — a move the volunteers describe as a return to his “spiritual home.”
Children from Bonymaen Kids Play Initiative helped re-stuff the Green Man before the move, and joined volunteers for a special woodland welcome event.
Local families gathered to celebrate, with children taking part in a surprise woodland walk and activities centred on the much-loved figure.
Sharing the news, David Lang, of the Kilvey Woodland Volunteers, said the Green Man had been glad to escape the building site.
“The Green Man has had enough of living in the shadow of the Skyline construction site and has returned to his spiritual home of the woods, surrounded by trees,” he said.
The sculpture was created back in 1998 by local resident Pete Thomas, and has been looked after by the community ever since.
It found itself at the centre of public feeling earlier this year, when tree felling for the Skyline project left it standing in a bare, cleared stretch of hillside — a stark image that struck a chord with those worried about the scheme’s impact.
At the time, Skyline said it recognised the Green Man’s importance and was committed to protecting his future on the hill.
The £49m Skyline attraction, which will bring a cable car, luge and other activities to Kilvey Hill, has been one of the most hotly debated developments in Swansea in recent years, drawing both strong support and determined protest.
For the volunteers, though, this week is about something simpler — a much-loved local landmark back where they feel he belongs.
And there’s a challenge for anyone heading up the hill. The Green Man has been tucked away in a new hidden spot, somewhere along the Viking ship path — and visitors are being invited to see if they can find him.
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