TV stars Edwards and Lloyd support Copper Kingdom
CELEBRITIES including Huw Edwards and Siân Lloyd are to become Patrons of Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust, which runs the Copper Kingdom.
TV newsreader Edwards and former weather presenter Lloyd, alongside former Deputy First Minister, AM and MP Ieuan Wyn Jones, will join existing patron Baroness Glenys Kinnock.
The Copper Kingdom Centre and Maritime Exhibition depicts the fascinating story of the copper industry following the discovery of copper ore on Parys Mountain in 1768.
Remarkably, the small fishing village of Amlwch came to dominate the world’s copper markets and the population grew from a few hundred to over 5,000 by the turn of the century.
This gave rise to a thriving shipping industry and an Act of Parliament was needed in 1793 to enlarge the small port.
The fame of the Amlwch copper industry was such that it attracted many eminent visitors, including the great scientific discoverer, Michael Faraday, who visited and inspected the copper mines in 1819.
Within 100 years, however, the industry had declined and deep mining ceased.
“You have a fantastic story to tell and it’s important that as many people as possible hear it,” said Huw Edwards recently, while Sian Lloyd’s great grandfather worked at the copper mines.
The Copper Kingdom Centre, Maritime Exhibition, shop and café in Amlwch Port are now open, weekends only initially, up to the Easter holidays.