The Welsh Government announced an additional £3.3m boost to
support the re-development of the National Slate Museum in
Llanberis today.
The redevelopment will create a new learning centre, play area,
shop and café at the museum, as well as making the whole site
more accessible. There will be more opportunities to discover and
enjoy the slate story through new exhibitions and interpretation.
The funding will also enable the site to continue to develop its
role as a living museum by offering training and opportunities
for people from all backgrounds to enjoy, learn about and develop
traditional heritage skills.
The museum has temporarily closed to safely carry out the
conservation and renovation work. But Amgueddfa Cymru is taking
the museum on the road around local attractions and community
events in north Wales and through ‘pop up' museums at the Quarry
Hospital and Penrhyn Castle.
Today's announcement consists of an additional £3m plus the award
of a £300,000 Communities Facilities Programme grant towards the
construction of a new café, Learning and Volunteering Centre and
Changing Places facilities. This brings the Welsh Government's
total contribution to the project to £5.8m (with £2.5m previously
awarded).
Culture Minister, , visited the site recently
to meet Amgueddfa Cymru staff and see the ongoing developments.
He said:
“As Culture Minister and a proud north Walian, it's been an ideal
summer for me –visiting one exciting development or event in the
Gogledd after another. The almost-finished, new-look Theatr
Clwyd; the National Slate Museum at the beginning of its own
transformation journey; the Maes of the National Eisteddfod in
Wrexham where I joined tens of thousands of other visitors to
celebrate all things Cymraeg and was updated on the progress of
the new Football Museum for Wales within Wrexham Museum.
“We have increased day-to-day spend on culture by 8.5% this year
and tripled investment in venues and sites compared to a decade
ago. But our spend on culture goes far beyond this - it is woven
into budgets across Welsh Government.
“Our investment in the National Slate Museum today is an
excellent example of how this works in practice with £5.5m from
my department's budget combined with community regeneration
funding to ensure the redeveloped museum offers a world class
experience for visitors to the slate landscape of north-west
Wales – a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2021.”
The Welsh Government allocated over £230m this year to culture
and cultural programmes outside of the Culture Minister's
portfolio - across departments including education, local
government, economy, health, the Welsh language, energy and
social justice.
This includes funding for familiar and culturally significant
projects like the National Music Service, the Urdd, National and
Llangollen Eisteddfodau, the summer reading challenge across all
libraries in Wales, the investment in our film, TV and live music
sectors and high-profile events like Tafwyl and the year-long
2025 Richard Burton Centenary programme.
Notes to editors
- The National Slate Museum project is receiving £6.2m funding
from the UK Government, as part of a wider application submitted
by Gwynedd Council, and £12m from the National Lottery Heritage
Fund.
