First Minister Mark Drakeford at Barry's Oak Field Primary

Mr Drakeford was at Oak Field Primary School in Gibbons Down on Thursday, June 21, seeing the results of a Welsh Government grant the school received to improve its grounds, and to explain his vision for Wales’ “national forest”.

Mr Drakeford has an ambition to see a forest which runs unbroken from one end of Wales to the other.

In order to do this his government has set up the National Forest for Wales Status Scheme, and is urging landowners with woodland to join and became part of Wales’ next great forest.

During the visit, Mr Drakeford also spoke about his fondness for Barry and how impressed he was with how the town had transformed from the days when he first visited it with his wife in the 1970s.

Mr Drakeford visited Oak Field Primary in Gibbons Town (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Drakeford with Oak Field Primary pupils including Rosanna, Bella, Lorenzo, Isabella, Maddie, and Ruby (Image: Newsquest)

Watch the video below as Mark Drakeford walks with pupils of Oak Field Primary as they show the first minister their allotment patch

Drakeford: ‘Barry; A place of confidence with a bright future’

There was no fanfare like that which took place ten miles away when Harry Styles showed up in Cardiff.

Mr Drakeford arrived in a low-key entrance, with his press officers in tow and was greeted by head of Oak Field Primary Mr Luke Tweedy as well as Vale Council leader Lis Burnett.

Pupils showed Mr Drakeford their newly planted trees (Image: Newsquest)

Watch the video below as pupils of Oak Field school show Mr Drakeford their incredible fire pit

The trip began with pupils of Oak Field Primary singing Mr Drakeford a song in the playground before the first minister was led by eight pupils to the school’s allotment patch.

Then the pupils showed Mr Drakeford the bee colony and trees that were planted with the help of The Woodland Investment Grant (TWIG) of £50,000.

Oak Field received the grant in December as part of the government’s national forest scheme and used it to plant 40 mature trees in the grounds.

Mr Drakeford was also shown the school’s pond before visiting Pencoedtre’s tiny forest – which is one of the smallest forests to join the scheme.

The Frst Minister speaking to volunteers at Pencoedtre tiny forest as part of the government's National Forest for Wales Status Scheme (Image: Supplied)

Watch the heartwarming video below as one of the pupils of Oak Field School describes the school’s tree meadow to Mr Drakeford and see the response when he asks the children why Wales needs trees

Mr Drakeford then said a few words about Barry, reminiscing of his time visiting the town with his late wife Clare in the seventies, and describing how impressed he was with how it was looking now.

“I first came to Barry when I moved to Cardiff in 1979,” began Mr Drakeford.

“I remember a very hot September and we came to Barry Island. When I think of Barry from then to now I think how smart it looks.

Mr Drakeford was shown what the school had done with their grant (Image: Newsquest)

“The whole waterfront in Barry is transformed. Barry is a town which is on the up.

“You can see it in the investment that has been made. It sends a message about the Barry of today. It is a place of confidence and a place with a bright future.”