As part of the HLF’s Townscape Heritage grant programme, Pembrokeshire County Council will work in partnership with Pembrokeshire College to provide training opportunities for students.

The Townscape Heritage programme focuses on the Haverfordwest Conservation Area and aims to revive and enhance the character of the local area and bring historic buildings back into sustainable use.

Jennifer Stewart, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund Wales, said: “This project will have a wide ranging impact on the local community in Haverfordwest. We are thrilled to see that young people in the area will not only benefit from HLF funding through training opportunities but will also be encouraged to engage with and enhance the town’s distinctive heritage.”

Training and skills
The funding will be awarded to Pembrokeshire County Council who have also committed £1.31million towards the scheme which builds on an earlier successful phase one programme, which delivered around 22 high-quality town conservation projects.

The first phase of the project has now been completed, with project partner Pembrokeshire College reporting that the project has already had a positive effect on the town as a result of the development grant provided by HLF. Martin White, Head of Regeneration at Pembrokeshire County Council welcomed the funding and said it was important to invest in the fabric of Haverfordwest in order to support its wider role as a key economic driver for the county.

The scheme will now move on to its second phase where college students and local people will benefit from learning practical skills from hands on experiences through a specially developed training programme. Opportunities for college students include practical training for construction craft apprentices, management of a catering outlet in the area by hospitality students and surveying consumer satisfaction by business and tourism students.

Townscape Heritage
HLF’s Townscape Heritage programme supports partnerships of local, regional and national interests that aim to regenerate economically disadvantaged historic areas for the benefit of local residents, workers and visitors. Project managers hope that the scheme will provide an economic boost to the local economy and preserve the historical Georgian style of the town centre.

Local Assembly Member, Paul Davies AM, welcomed the positive impact the funding will have on the area and said, “Regeneration and training opportunities are needed in this area and this project will help to tackle a number of wide ranging issues that will benefit not only the town centre but also the local community. Haverfordwest has significant regional importance with strong historical associations and I’m pleased that this has been recognised by the Heritage Lottery Fund.”

Notes to editors

This £1.2m grant has been awarded by Heritage Lottery Fund to Pembrokeshire County Council. The council have also committed £1.31m to the scheme and Pembrokeshire College will be an equal project partner. HLF awarded a first-round pass of £1.24m including a development grant of £40,000 in April 2012 to the scheme.

Plans for the project include preserving and enhancing the character of the area:

• The Grade II listed 10 and 10a Dew Street and the prominently located former Woolworths store in Castle Square are considered to be in critical need for preservation work with an additional nine projects considered priorities.
• Bringing historic buildings back into appropriate and sustainable use

Developing Initiatives:

• Develop a programme of interpretation of the area with key groups including the museum, civic trust and local schools. These activities will include guided walks, school visits, resource packs for schools and a continuously updated THI public exhibition.

Training opportunities:

• Provide practical training for construction craft apprentices
• Opportunities for hospitality students to help operate a catering outlet in the THI area
• Business and tourism students to survey consumer satisfaction
• Art and photography students to design promotional material

Further information

Naomi Williams on 029 2044 2020, email: naomi@positifgroup.co.uk.