NEWPORT'S place in a garden festival being held in its twin city this summer will stand out thanks to a striking sculpture.

Instead of a purely botanical theme, the city's contribution to the event in Heindenheim, Germany, will feature one of the works created for last year's Caerleon Arts Festival.

Romanian Septimiu Enghis Vasile produced The Tomb of King Arthur during the summer's sculpture symposium and it was selected to take pride of place in the 6m by 8m garden set aside for Newport.

Bryan Dale and Greville Hunt, from the Caerleon Festival, are taking the statue to Germany next week on a flat-bed truck.

The 800-mile trip will take about three days and they will have just a day to put the sculpture in place at the site called Partnership Grove, explained Mr Dale.

"We will then have one day to erect the sculpture on stone scree and put in about 100 plants provided by Heidenheim before driving back." The operation is a joint project between Newport council, Newport Transport and Caerleon Arts Festival.

Mr Dale said that all sculptures created for the Caerleon Festival are retained by them for the community. The festival will be from June 28 until July 9.