6/1/2009

Welsh castles and other historic sites are to be given a two million pound boost.

Deganwy Castle, Nevern Castle, Glyndyfrdwy,Sycharth, Cefn Caer, Pennal , Strata Florida Abaty Cwmhir and Abergwyngregyn will be targeted as sites of iconic significance to Welsh culture, heritage and nationhood.

The programme of works will enhance physical and intellectual access to ten sites in Wales. Further sites will be revealed in due course.

Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones said today the works will ensure the sites are conserved, made safe and are both physically and intellectually accessible.

It is hoped they will be better able to contribute to local community and national aspirations to regenerate communities, maximise cultural and heritage tourism, community identity and lifelong learning.

The announcement comes as Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s Historic Environment Service, celebrates its 25th anniversary.

As part of the wider 25th anniversary activities there will be a focus during June on the castles of the Welsh Princes. The aim is to tell the story of the castles of Dolbadarn, Cricieth, Castell y Bere and Dolwyddelan to a wider audience.

“I’m delighted to be able to announce this funding today, which will make a significant contribution in making some of our iconic sites more accessible to the Welsh public,� said the Minister.

“The iconic sites selected are key in telling the story of Wales and are strongly linked with our nationhood, language and culture.  I’m confident people will feel a stronger connection with Wales and our story when visiting these sites. They play a crucial role in giving us a sense of place and purpose.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Cadw on their 25th anniversary and look forward to a full year of activities to celebrate the rich diversity of Wales’s historic environment.  

“Cadw plays a crucial role in telling the story of our history and we as a nation need to feel proud of our built heritage and embrace it.  Our history will not always be a comfortable story, we have to remember our castles weren’t planned and built as tourism attractions – they have a real story behind them, a story we should all be familiar with and proud of.

“The Welsh Cultural Heritage Initiative will also tie into the wider Heritage Tourism Project, an £18m bid for EU Convergence Funding, which will support a range of projects to enhance the heritage tourism product in Wales.�

The £2m is part of the £350 million package announced by Andrew Davies, the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery in December 2008.  The funding will be used to boost the Welsh economy via innovative, cross-cutting and strategic capital projects.