Latest news with #JaneRichardson
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
National Slate Museum gets £12m lottery money for revamp
A slate museum has been awarded £12m for redevelopment work aimed at preserving the heritage site for future Wales has been given the grant as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund for work on the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, Grade I listed building has been home to the museum since 1972 when it was first opened to the public after the closure of the Dinorwig slate quarry in money is intended to transform it into "a gateway to our history and culture". In 2021, the slate landscape of north-west Wales became the UK's 33rd site on the UNESCO World Heritage slate landscapes of Snowdonia are said to have "roofed the 19th Century world" as slate from its quarries was exported around the globe. Nowadays, the area is popular with tourists and nature Wales said the planned redevelopment would "retain the essence of the industrial workshops which sit at the heart of the site", while "sharing and celebrating" the role the area played on a global will include a new learning centre, play area, shop and cafe, as well as improving staff at the museum speak Welsh, and bosses say the language "will be embedded at all stages of the project".The redevelopment will also include the creation of new jobs, work placements and traineeships. Jane Richardson, chief executive of Museum Wales, said she was "truly thrilled".She added: "This is a key milestone in the Llanberis redevelopment project and is exciting news for us, for the wider community, and for everyone in Wales."Andrew White, the National Lottery Heritage Fund director for Wales, added the money would "unlock vital opportunities for communities across north Wales".The building is currently closed to the public, but work has already begun to move items from the museum to temporary locations in preparation for building works on site.
ITV News
08-07-2025
- Business
- ITV News
National Slate Museum secures £12 million in funding
Amgueddfa Cymru has secured £12 million for the redevelopment of the National Slate Museum in Llanberis. The money was awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and will help protect the future of the museum. The Grade 1 listed building has been home to the National Slate Museum since 1972, when it was first opened to the public after the closure of Dinorwig slate quarry in 1969. Now, the money will go to create a new learning centre, play area, shop and café, as well as improving accessibility throughout the site. Amgueddfa Cymru said that Welsh language will be embedded at all stages of the project to celebrate how the slate industry helped the language thrive in the area. The Chief Executive of the museum, Jane Richardson said: "We are truly thrilled to have been awarded this significant grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund which means we can progress the redevelopment plans with certainty. "This is a key milestone in the Llanberis redevelopment project and is exciting news for us, for the wider community, and for everyone in Wales. "Thanks to National Lottery players, we can now conserve the history of the National Slate Museum for future generations and move towards a more sustainable future for the Museum which will be more inclusive, more accessible, and which will inspire growth and learning. "This will mean even more people can access and enjoy the global success story of NorthWales slate." The building is currently closed to the public, and work is underway to move items from the Museum to temporary locations in preparation for the building works.
North Wales Live
07-07-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
North Wales tourism attraction gets £12m for 'transformational' change
An attraction has received £12m for its "transformational" redevelopment. National Slate Museum, Llanberis, is already undergoing significant changes after backing from UK and Welsh government funds and Cyngor Gwynedd. Now it has been confirmed that site owner Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales has been awarded £12m by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This means that work on the redevelopment can move forward to the next stage. They said it would "guarantee the future of the Museum and the globally significant story of the North Wales slate industry". The Grade 1 listed building in Llanberis has been home to the National Slate Museum since 1972 when it was first opened to the public after the closure of the Dinorwig slate quarry in 1969. Works at the Museum will transform the experience for visitors and create a sustainable future for this internationally significant site. The redevelopment work will retain the essence of the industrial workshops which sit at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in North Wales, while sharing and celebrating the global story of how slate from this small corner of North West Wales was used to 'roof the world'. The redevelopment will create a new learning centre, play area, shop and café, as well as improving accessibility throughout the site and creating more opportunities to discover and enjoy the slate story through new exhibitions and interpretation. Dedicated exhibition spaces will allow Amgueddfa Cymru to share more items from the national collection, bringing more exciting exhibitions to North Wales for the first time and ensuring more people can access and enjoy Wales' national collection. As well as conserving the historic fabric of the site and the collections and stories, the redevelopment will contribute to the regional economy, offering employment opportunities, student work placements and traineeships. 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 endangered traditional heritage skills. Jane Richardson, Chief Executive of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, said: "We are truly thrilled to have been awarded this significant grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund which means we can progress the redevelopment plans with certainty. This is a key milestone in the Llanberis redevelopment project and is exciting news for us, for the wider community, and for everyone in Wales. "Thanks to National Lottery players, we can now conserve the history of the National Slate Museum for future generations and move towards a more sustainable future for the Museum which will be more inclusive, more accessible, and which will inspire growth and learning. This will mean even more people can access and enjoy the global success story of North Wales slate." Andrew White, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Wales, said: "This transformational £12m investment will firmly establish Amgueddfa Lechi as the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Slate Landscape, unlocking vital opportunities for communities across North Wales. "It will safeguard the future of this Grade 1 listed site, ensuring the powerful story of slate and the lives it shaped continues to inspire future generations. This project is a bold investment in Cymru's globally significant industrial heritage – delivering skills, apprenticeships and employment, while strengthening both the regional economy and cultural landscape." Lord Dafydd Wigley, Chair of the Wales Slate Partnership, said: "As the main hub of the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site, the National Slate Museum has a vital role to play in sharing this important heritage with the public - from local communities to the wider world. This significant investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will help to develop this site as a gateway to our history and culture that will engage and inspire generations today and in the future." Councillor R. Medwyn Hughes, Cabinet Member for Economy and Community, Cyngor Gwynedd, said: "I am delighted to see a sum of this scale being awarded to this heritage location that is so important to Gwynedd, Wales and the World. It recognises the important and rich history that this area has had in roofing the world and will create a deserving resource and boost to the local area." Alongside this significant grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Amgueddfa Cymru said it is extremely grateful for funding support secured through partnerships with Cyngor Gwynedd (via UK Government) as part of the Llewyrch o'r Llechi project, Welsh Government, and other funders. It is understood total funding is around £21m.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
National Museum to reopen after mechanical fault
A major Welsh museum that has been plagued with maintenance problems will reopen on Friday after it fixed a mechanical fault. It is not known what specifically caused officials to suddenly shut the National Museum on Sunday, with the organisation blaming a problem in an "isolated area of the building". The organisation has warned for years of a backlog of works needed at the Cardiff site, one of Wales' earliest national institutions. Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales - said it had completed "essential maintenance work" and that maintaining the aging building is an "ongoing challenge". National museum shuts for maintenance work National Museum will not shut, minister promises The museum said at the weekend that it had to shut the building to the public because of a "mechanical issue caused by a component failure in an isolated area of the building". It is not known publicly what the mechanical issue, or component failure, was. The museum has so far not responded to requests from BBC Wales to explain more. Chief executive, Jane Richardson, said: "Like so many institutions across Wales and the UK, managing and maintaining aging buildings is an ongoing challenge. "I would like to thank all our staff and suppliers who have been working night and day to resolve the issue to help minimise any disruption to our visitors. "We are also extremely grateful for all the heartfelt support, patience and understanding from the public during this period and we are looking forward to welcoming you all back." The Welsh government gave assurances last year that the National Museum, which opened the Cathays Park building in 1922, would remain operational. An extra £3.2m was provided for emergency repairs at the museum and the National Library of Wales last July. But Amgueddfa Cymru warned it would "not go far enough", with an estimated £25m needed for critical urgent repairs. Labour's Welsh Secretary, Jo Stevens, said she was "satisfied that the reasons for the closure were necessary". "So I don't think this is about a long term issue. This is about a very specific problem that occurred within the museum." In December 2023 Jane Richardson told a Senedd committee that the museum was struggling to keep up with "critical works". "At Cardiff in particular we have a major problem with our mechanical, electrical and plumbing works there that, if we can't get those addressed, we will struggle to function." In a topical question on Wednesday Culture Minister Jack Sargeant said he had been assured that the contents of the building was safe. But Heledd Fychan, of Plaid Cymru, said "chronic under investment" by the Welsh government was putting national collections at risk.
BBC News
06-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
National Museum Cardiff to reopen on Friday after mechanical fault
A major Welsh museum will reopen on Friday after it fixed a mechanical is not known what caused officials to suddenly shut National Museum Cardiff's doors on Sunday, with the organisation blaming a problem in an "isolated area of the building".The organisation has warned for years of a backlog of maintenance issues plaguing the historic site, one of Wales' earliest national a statement on their website, the organisation said it had completed "essential maintenance work" and that maintaining the aging building is an "ongoing challenge". Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales - said at the weekend that it had to shut the building to the public because of a "mechanical issue caused by a component failure in an isolated area of the building".It is not known publicly what the mechanical issue, or component failure, is. The museum has so far not responded to requests from BBC Wales to explain executive, Jane Richardson said: "Like so many institutions across Wales and the UK, managing and maintaining aging buildings is an ongoing challenge. "I would like to thank all our staff and suppliers who have been working night and day to resolve the issue to help minimise any disruption to our visitors."We are also extremely grateful for all the heartfelt support, patience and understanding from the public during this period and we are looking forward to welcoming you all back."The Welsh government gave assurances last year that the National Museum, which dates back to the early 20th Century, would remain extra £3.2m was provided for emergency repairs at the museum and the National Library of Wales last Amgueddfa Cymru warned it would "not go far enough", with an estimated £25m needed for critical urgent repairs.
