Grant will transform Llanelli GWR goods shed into a heritage centre
PLANS to transform a Grade II-listed railway goods shed into a thriving heritage centre in Llanelli have been boosted by a grant of nearly £14,000 from Great Western Railway.
The Llanelli Railway Goods Shed Trust wants to turn the 1875-built GWR shed into a flagship social enterprise and community hub, which will become a multi-use facility addressing social, economic, environmental and cultural issues.
The shed is located in the Tyisha area of Llanelli, in the top 10% of the most deprived wards in Wales. Its transformation will enhance Carmarthenshire County Council's plans to regenerate this disadvantaged area.
As part of GWR's franchise agreement with the Department for Transport, the train operator has a Communities and Education Programme to assist schools, colleges, community and other notfor-profit organisations.
Nia Griffith MP, who chairs the trust, said: “The project will allow people to experience and understand the significance of a building which has been on their doorstep for more than a century. We are looking forward to welcoming people to the goods shed early in the New Year, when the first phase of the renovation will be complete, with office space and rooms for community use to let out.
“We've had considerable interest from people who have come forward with photos and reminiscences of Llanelli's railway and industrial heritage, and they are keen to see this preserved and celebrated.”
Great Western Railway's funding will provide interpretive panels and artefacts, a projection wall providing archive imagery and oral accounts, and volunteer guides who will help tell stories to bring the goods shed to life. Access to the heritage area will be free.
In July, a train once again arrived at the shed, in the form of Class 143 Pacer DMU No. 143622, which came from Landore depot in Swansea after being donated to the trust by Transport for Wales. Network Rail donated about 100 yards of track on which to stand the two-car unit, and volunteers from the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway helped with the delivery.