Minister visits Welsh recipients of Levelling Up funding

Welsh Office minister James Davies has visit sites in Gwynedd who are beneficiaries of £19 million of Levelling Up funding.

Davies visited the National Slate Museum and Parc Padarn in Llanberis and the Ty’n Llan pub in Llandwrog.

£18.8 million is being spent on Gwynedd’s World Heritage slate landscape, as part of Round 2 of the Levelling Fund. Some of the money is being invested in redeveloping buildings at the museum and improving the surrounding park environment.

The £18.8m Levelling Up funding for Gwynedd has also been allocated to develop a new heritage centre in Bethesda; make improvements to Bethesda concert hall Neuadd Ogwen; create a new walking and cycling path linking Bethesda with Chwarel Penrhyn quarry; make major improvements to Blaenau Ffestiniog town centre; and construct a new walking and cycling path linking Blaenau Ffestiniog with Chwarel Llechwedd quarry.

The Ty’n Llan pub in Llandwrog was this week awarded £500,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to help develop it as a community hub.

Davies said: "The £19m in levelling up money allocated to separate projects in Gwynedd is a hugely significant investment in our communities.

"It was fantastic to see first-hand the extremely exciting plans for the Slate Museum and its surroundings, building on the World Heritage status the area has deservedly been awarded, and also learn about the development of the Ty’n Llan pub as a hub for the local community.

"The UK Government is working to grow the Welsh economy and level up all parts of the country. These investments in Gwynedd will regenerate local communities and bring jobs, growth and opportunity for the people who live there."

Councillor Nia Jeffreys, Cyngor Gwynedd deputy leader and cabinet member for the economy and communities, said: "As a Council, we are delighted that the Cyngor Gwynedd-led “Llewyrch o’r Llechi” scheme has secured financial support from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. The slate producing communities are of great historical, cultural and industrial significance and we look forward to see the various plans we have within this scheme flourish.

"Many local families will have ancestors who worked either in the quarries of Eryri or connected industries and we are  proud that their Welsh-speaking, working class legacy will be protected, promoted and celebrated thanks to the UNESCO World Heritage Status and that we are able to use this designation as a springboard to attract funding such as the Levelling Up fund."

Image: This work by Petersrockypics is licensed under CC-BY-SA4.0 Based on a work at www.flickr.com/photos/petersrockypics/ .