£1m lottery boost for community partnership
A SPLASH pad, forest trails and tourism hub could be coming to a South Wales village after £1m of lottery funding was won by a regeneration project.
The Ynysybwl Regeneration Partnership, a community-based project, announced they had won the funding as part of the Big Lottery grant scheme Create Your Space.
The scheme helps communities conserve the natural environment and make a difference now and for
The project in Ynysybwl will begin this summer, running for five years.
Barbara Castle, chairwoman of the Ynysybwl Regeneration Partnership, said: “This project just shows what the people of Ynysybwl can do when they pull together.”
Arfon Williams, vicechairman of the YRP, added: “We’ve seen a big future generations. increase in walking and cycling visitors to this area and through this project we can make sure this continues to grow and benefits the whole community.”
According to the group, the funding was won after a year of research and events that allowed the community to pass through the first round of 200 groups in Wales, of which only 16 reached the main bidding stage for the funding.
The funding will be used to provide the tools to sustain the project plan for five years and to renovate the area’s assets introducing nature trails, pathways for horse riders and cyclists, and a forest visitor centre that will also serve tea and coffee for tourists.
The group said the additions will help create more awareness of the heritage of Ynysybwl as stopping points could also be introduced to encourage walkers to learn more about the area’s history through headphone sets or their mobile phones.
Martin Sullivan, capital works adviser at the Urbanists, of which the YRP is a client, added: “After years of hard work this will bring all the strands of the Ynysybwl community together – the whole community should come together and celebrate their success.” Previous to the win, the partnership focussed on motivating younger people to think about the community and developing the skills of young entrepreneurs to create new ideas for work shops and exhibitions.