From the North Wales slate heartland and coastal Colwyn Bay, to the Pembrokeshire Preseli hills and the urban South Wales towns of Barry and Llanelli, HLF’s ground-breaking Great Place scheme will allow the five successful communities to explore how their unique heritage can help create a successful future.

Creating great places, for people

The Great Place funding puts heritage at the heart of joined-up thinking to create better places for people to live, work and visit.

The five projects will consider how the cultural attributes of their area can contribute to tackling wider issues such as poverty, employment, health and education.

The five Welsh Great Place projects are:

1. Colwyn Bay (North): Imagine Colwyn Bay - £400,000
2. Gwynedd (North): LleCHI Adfywio trwy dreftadaeth yn Nyffrynnoedd Enwebiad Safle Treftadaeth y Byd Llechi Cymru - £362,000
3. Barry (South): Barry - Making Waves - £252,000
4. Preseli (West): Ein Cymdogaeth Werin – Preseli Heartlands Communities - £218,000
5. Llanelli (South): Your Heritage, Your Opportunity, Your Place - £200,500

New networks and practical partnerships

Thanks to National Lottery players, the Great Place Scheme will be implemented across the UK. HLF has designed a tailored programme in Wales that responds to the specific needs of the country, benefitting towns and rural areas alike.

[quote=Kay Andrews, UK trustee and Chair of HLF in Wales]"Thanks to National Lottery players, we are enabling a step-change in thinking, encouraging local leaders to come together and recognise that heritage can and should be a driving force for change."[/quote]

Project activities will range from creating new networks and partnerships, to addressing inequality and devising new ways to include their built and natural heritage in the provision of local education and health services.

UK Government Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, Michael Ellis, said: “Heritage is what makes our towns and cities unique. It attracts millions of international visitors every year, supports thousands of jobs, and inspires local residents and businesses. This £1.5m investment, funded by National Lottery players, will help protect and preserve magnificent examples of Welsh heritage for future generations.”