With the most romantic day of the year nearly upon us, what is believed to be the world's longest lovespoon has gone on display in Cold Inn, near Kilgetty, to help raise funds for Cancer Research. At over 27 feet long, and made entirely from one piece of Welsh oak taken from the Gwaun Valley, it is engraved to represent the journey of life. The spoon has taken over 300 hours to carve for creator Keri Thomas, and is just one of the many lovespoons he has created every year since 1969 to celebrate the date of his engagement and record the events of each year. The topics for the spoons have ranged from the Munich Games in 1972 to the Queen's silver jubilee and the events of September 11. This year's spoon has plenty of room to record the events of the last year, and features references to Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code', as well as the ongoing debate about climate change and air travel included in the depiction of life's journeys. Mr. Thomas, a carpenter by trade, explained: "Every year I make my wife a lovespoon to commemorate the day we got engaged, but this year we have decided to try and raise funds for Cancer Research by carving the world's longest love spoon. It has taken over a year to carve, and the end result has definitely been worth it. "People come from all over the world to visit our workshop to see the ancient tradition of lovespoon carving, so we are hoping that this spoon will encourage people to think about the journey of life and the pitfalls it can present, and help us support Cancer Research." The lovespoon is one of Wales' most famous traditions, and the earliest example dates back to the 16th century. Originally developed from decorated cawl (soup) spoons, they quickly became ornamental and used to symbolise love and affection. Tradition dictates they must be made purely from one piece of wood and given as a token of love to another. The lovespoon can be seen on display at Lovespoon Workshop, Cold Inn, Kilgetty, where donations to Cancer Research are also being taken.
