Minister launches Tywi project

Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones has officially launched a £2.4million project, aimed at conserving and celebrating the Tywi Valley.
Tywi Afon Yr Oesoedd (Tywi a River Through Time) is a partnership funded heritage project, led by Carmarthenshire County Council, which will create a legacy for future generations by safeguarding the valley’s rich and unique landscape, biodiversity and history.
The project has received £1.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £557,378 from the Rural Development Plan, and support from the Countryside Council for Wales, Menter Bro Dinefwr and National Trust.
It has already made great strides in the area by engaging with local people through a series of events planned under the four different elements of the project – volunteering, landscape and biodiversity, learning and interpretation and sustainable building.
The project was launched at the Canolfan Tywi Centre, the centrepiece of the project, which is housed in two converted barns at Dinefwr Farm, on the outskirts of Llandeilo.
As well as providing a base for the project team, the centre provides an invaluable resource to the area, offering a range of traditional sustainable building information services and education and community resources.
It also offers a range of subsidised courses for builders, building professionals and homeowners, in a bid to help locals conserve the area’s historic homes and buildings through reviving the arts of historic techniques such as stonemasonry and woodwork.
A full complement of activities, training courses and seminars promoting the Tywi Valley and the uptake of skills required to maintain this beautiful and historic landscape are also held at the centre.
Speaking at the launch the Minister said: “The Rural Development Plan is a very important mechanism for developing rural communities. Between 2007 and 2013 it will bring an impressive £795m of funding to rural Wales.
“Through this traditional building project in Carmarthenshire we can see what can happen when communities realise that traditional skills have a place in the future, and are prepared to invest in that future.
“This centre will enable dying skills to be renewed and will ensure that the changes we make now will preserve our past and secure our future.”
Dan Clayton Jones, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for Wales, said: “The heritage of the Tywi Valley is invaluable and this project and the £1.5 million of lottery funding it has secured, will safeguard it for future generations.
“Some of the project activities are well underway and huge strides have been taken to bring the community closer to understanding and valuing the heritage. These new facilities will provide a springboard for a range of opportunities all of which will create a sense of pride and ownership for the Valley, and help people develop a real enthusiasm for our natural and built heritage.
“The project will also conserve the historic character of the Valley, which would otherwise be lost forever, and bring enormous benefits to the landscape, the wildlife, the local people and visitors to the area."
The renovation of the buildings at Home Farm, near Llandeilo, began in January this year, and has seen traditional techniques used throughout.
The former Cart Shed now houses the offices of the Tywi Afon yr Oesoedd Project and a seminar and demonstration area, and the Cow Shed has been converted into workshop space for carpentry, joinery, masonry and stonework skills.
The Building Information Service, based at the centre, will provide a personal help service to professionals, builders and homeowners on how to undertake work on traditional buildings and how to use traditional materials and methods.
Cllr Clive Scourfield, executive board member for regeneration, said: “Tywi Afon Yr Oesoedd has been embraced by residents in the Towy Valley, and I have been really encouraged by the way they are supporting our officers in implementing a range of schemes to conserve the area.
“This will provide an invaluable resource to the area. The renovation of the buildings has been fantastic, and hinges on the ethos of the whole project, which has been so successful in the area.”
This project has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.For further information about the centre, or any other schemes run by the project, call the team on 01558 824271, or visit the Tywi Afon Yr Oesoedd pages on www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk
Some of the events organised by Tywi Afon Yr Oesoedd in recent months include:
• A professional theatre workshop which saw local people write and perform a play based on local characters both past and present;
• A heritage building open day to give people an insight in to the work involved in renovating old buildings with free seminars led by traditional building specialists;
• History and archaeological events with historians and local experts on hand to help local people identify old pictures and artefacts to share memories and uncover new pieces of history;
• Wildlife sessions where local schoolchildren worked with a bird expert to make bird boxes and record the birdlife in their area;
• A fun run through the 12th century Dinefwr Park which saw runners of all ages take in the breathtaking scenery;
• A joint project to improve access for anglers at the River Towy with a circular walkway.
See earlier post on blog -
http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/heritage-centre-for-llandeilo.html

Pictured at the opening of the Tywi Sustainable Building Centre at Dinefwr Home Farm, Llandeilo, is from left, rural affairs minister Elin Jones AM, Carmarthenshire County Council chairman Cllr Tyssul Evans, Coleg Sir Gar carpentry lecturer Paul Evans, Shared Apprentice Scheme members Daniel Evans and Chris Sawyer, and Tywi Afon Yr Oesoedd project officers Helena Burke and Nell Hellier. They are pictured with a green oak frame, which is being made at the centre. Picture Jeff Connell

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