Welsh Government
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Heritage Minister announces £1m investment in one of Wales’ cultural jewels
The Welsh Assembly Government is making this significant investment alongside Denbighshire County Council, who has pledged an additional £600K, to upgrade the Pavilion and secure the festival’s long-term future as one of Wales’ high profile cultural events.
Announcing the investment, Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones said:
“The Llangollen International Festival is one of Wales’ cultural jewels. The annual Eisteddfod attracts visitors and participants from all over the world and the annual festival makes a prominent and crucial contribution to the Welsh Assembly Government’s efforts to promote and develop cultural tourism.
“The Eisteddfod pavilion lies at the heart of the efforts to build on the success of the festival to date. There is a need to repair the structure of the building and without this there might have been a threat to Eisteddfodau in the near future. This money means that the structural work will be achieved before the Llangollen International Festival in 2010.
“Its flexible design allows for major concerts to be staged as part of the International Eisteddfod and has also been a key component in the efforts to bring a wider series of cultural events to Llangollen all year round. This capital investment will secure its future and position the facility as a world-class venue for international performers.”
The £1m is part of the Finance Minister’s earlier announcement of an additional £41.3 million of capital expenditure to boost the Welsh economy and support communities and businesses during the global recession. This additional money is the consequential uplift to the Assembly Government’s capital expenditure budget stemming from this year’s UK Government Budget announcement.
Councillor David Thomas, Cabinet Lead Member for Regeneration said:
"The council is delighted that the Welsh Assembly Government is making this million pounds available towards the costs of maintaining and refurbishing the Pavilion.
“The Pavilion is used as an all year round venue for cultural activities and community events, not forgetting the showcase International Musical Eisteddfod which welcomes thousands of people year on year to sample the feast of international arts, culture and tradition on offer.
"Investing in the structure of the building is important if we are to continue to offer the best programme of activities in buildings that are safe and fit for purpose. This announcement is good news for the Royal International Pavilion."
Mervyn Cousins, Executive Director of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod said:
“This is wonderful news for the festival; we are delighted that we will be able to continue to develop the actual venue and the infrastructure of the site in parallel to that of the activities of the festival itself and we have a real passion to give the world an even more special ‘Croeso’ here.
“The announcement also comes as a fantastic boost to the staff and enormous numbers of volunteers who are work so hard for us.”
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