The £768,500 grant will ensure that the Llantrisant Town Trust will now be able to pursue innovative plans to restore the hall to its former glory and transform it into an educational facility that will act as both a community hub and welcoming visitor centre.

Built in 1773, the hall has been in the ownership of the Llantrisant Town Trust since 1889 who were given responsibility for its protection on behalf of the freemen of the town, reflecting the town’s interesting history as a “free borough”, or corporate town.

Jennifer Stewart, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Wales, said: “Llantrisant Guildhall has a fascinating history and the Freemen of Llantrisant have played a key part in bringing this project to life. It’s great to see how initial project plans have developed and we look forward to seeing the difference that the restored Guildhall will make to the community.”

Martin Hooker, from Llantristant Town Trust, said: “This funding will allow us to now fully realise our exciting plans to develop the building into a significant heritage centre for the region.

“We will be able to permanently store the ancient artefacts that are already in our care, including the solid silver 1633 Town Mace which is older than the one used in the House of Commons. We can’t wait to open our doors to visitors as well as the locals so they can learn about the rich history of Llantrisant town.”

Notes to editors
This £768,500 grant has been awarded by the HLF to Llantrisant Town Trust.

Plans for the project include:

• The building will become a repository for digitised heritage assets, including both genealogy material held by the Trust, and material such as photographs and stories that community members will be invited to bring for scanning or recording to create a collection related to the town
• Volunteers will be trained in digitisation skills and heritage learning under a professionally qualified Activity and Volunteer Coordinator.
  An exhibition will be created within the restored Guildhall to allow for the display of the ceremonial mace, charter and other chattels. This would allow these historic items to be displayed to the public for the first time since 1889
• As part of the project, the archives of Llantrisant's freemen will be digitised to create an online resource. Images of the town and oral histories will also be gathered as part of the creation of this resource
• Training will be provided for volunteers in digitisation skills and in facilitating learning under a qualified activities officer
• The project plans to work with local schools and colleges to make the Guildhall relevant and useful to the curriculum. Exhibition and activity spaces have been designed to accommodate school group sessions which are interactive and include role play

Further information
Naomi Williams, tel:02920 442020, email: naomi@positifgroup.co.uk