Saturday, October 31, 2015

Dee Valley gets share of £6M funding boost

Three of Wales’s most distinctive landscapes, including the Dee Valley, are set to benefit from more than £6m worth of investment, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced.

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley along with the Elan Valley and The Gwent Levels are the three funding recipients.

All are recognised as areas of great beauty – and they all have the potential to use their natural landscapes and wildlife, distinctive buildings, local traditions and stories and even industrial archaeology to increase tourism and boost jobs through carefully planned conservation and renovation activity.

Visitors, on an annual basis, flock to the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Project, many to see the iconic Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site.

The project will concentrate on ensuring the visitors’ experience can be enhanced while, at the same time, preserving the area’s unique landscape to inspire future generations.

The funding for all three areas aims to give people at the heart of these rural communities the power to play an active role in deciding how these extraordinary places will be looked after and managed for their benefit in the future.

The latest investment will see 3,000 training opportunities created, as well as a similar amount of volunteering opportunities.

Making the announcement, Richard Bellamy, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund Wales, said: “Our stunning landscapes define the very character of Wales and are as much a part of who we are as our castles, language and rugby. They are as much loved by the people who call Wales home as by tens of thousands of tourists who visit them.

“These fragile places must be conserved. However, if carefully managed, our landscape and countryside can also play a vital role in growing our nation’s economy.

“Thanks to National Lottery players we now have the chance to support three stunning areas, each with their own individual character and rich man-made heritage. They will now be looked after in a holistic and appropriate manner, harnessing their economic potential to the benefit of everyone who lives and works there.”

Welcoming the announcement today, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Natural Resources, Carl Sargeant, said: “These areas are being rightly recognised, not only for their beauty but for the significant role they play in representing the Wales people think of and love – and come to visit."

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