By Tim Binnall
Sadness has descended upon a Welsh town after a huge piece of driftwood, likened to the Loch Ness Monster, was swept back out to sea after charming residents for nearly two years. The strange sensation reportedly began back in March of 2024 when the sizeable debris washed ashore in the coastal community of Porthcawl. The enormous piece of driftwood resembling a lizard crawling along the beach quickly took on a life of its own as it was soon adorned with eyes, a long tongue, and a set of humps to complete the monstrous look (seen below). Dubbed 'Lizzy the Logness Monster,' the debris became an unlikely mascot to the community and something of a tourist attraction until a powerful storm struck the town this past weekend and took the creature with it.
"While it may sound silly to some, as it's a piece of driftwood, it has captured the imagination of the town," resident Steve West mused on the proverbial passing of the short-lived local legend, "it's very sad, and it will be very strange without Lizzy." Those sentiments were echoed by Chris Kitney, who also lives in Porthcawl, and noted that the debris had drawn countless people to the community since its arrival nearly two years ago, with the 'monster' eventually sporting "about 1,000 signatures from people who have signed where they are from and when they visited."
As is often the case with a difficult loss, grief has turned to anger for some residents who raised the issue of Lizzy's possible demise in September of 2024, but failed in their efforts to convince town officials to protect the attraction by moving it to higher ground. With the driftwood now gone, the community is left with only regret and their memories of the 'monster' who briefly called Porthcawl home. While Kitney said he "would put money on Lizzy being swept back up on the shore" at some point in the future, a glimpse of the 'creature' after its return to the sea showed that it had lost its 'legs' and no longer resembled the lizard that the town so loved.