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PUGH ANNOUNCES MONEY TO ESTABLISH MERTHYR CULTURAL CENTRE
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On a visit to the Engine House in Dowlais today to meet a group of young people turned theatre-promoters Alun Pugh, the Minister for Culture announced that he has earmarked an additional £250k in capital funding in this year’s draft budget towards creating a multi use Culture Centre in Merthyr.
The new facility will combine a theatre and arts centre with facilities for small creative businesses and individual artists - bringing together a community of activity and providing a centre for the cultural industries in the region.
The Arts Council of Wales (ACW) will work with 3 other major stakeholders on this project - the Heads of the Valleys Partnership, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and the University of Glamorgan.
Alun Pugh said:
“Merthyr has a rich cultural heritage and its people want to participate and experience the arts. Yet local access to culture has been poor. A culture centre for Merthyr and the heads of the valleys area is long overdue. Culture and the arts has an important part to play in building stronger communities. ”
Professor Dai Smith, Chairman of the Arts Council of Wales welcomed the announcement:
"I strongly welcome the additional funds that the Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and sport has announced in the draft budget. The value of the arts as a catalyst for regeneration is well documented and I'm confident that through our continued working partnership with the Local Authority and Heads of the Valley’s initiative, this funding will support increased access to professional arts and arts resources in the Heads of the Valley’s while also stimulating an increase in community arts projects in the region.”
The need for a cultural facility within Merthyr has been widely recognised. A Wales-wide study identified four major gaps in provision, in Newport, Caernarfon, Wrexham and Merthyr Tydfil. Since that time successful developments have been completed in both Caernarfon and Newport.
Following detailed discussions, four major stakeholders are now in a position to take the scheme forward, namely the Arts Council of Wales, The Heads of the Valleys Partnership, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and the University of Glamorgan.
The Galeri scheme in Caernarfon is a striking success. It has been constructed on a brown field site in the town’s dock area, the award-winning building is home to a range of thriving creative businesses, provides a range of artistic opportunities for children and young people, and is a meeting place and communal focus and has encouraged high quality physical regeneration in the immediate surrounding area. The hope is that a comparable development would achieve similar results in Merthyr Tydfil.
A feasibility study will now take place and will involve extensive community consultation to establish the needs of the community and future opportunities for the region.
The Minister also announced that an additional £250,000 would be provided to support the development on English Language Theatre in Wales. This is in addition to the £500,000 that the Minister announced at the Arts Council for Wales’s conference in May 2006.
Professor Dai Smith added:
“ACW has long been aware of the need to increase its support for English Language Theatre in Wales, and this funding to that end is wonderful news. It will help the Arts Council of Wales to build upon the strong foundations already laid, and realise its vision for year round high quality English language theatre for all the people of Wales."
Proposals developed by the Arts Council of Wales for English Language Theatre in Wales will be discussed in the Assembly’s Culture Committee on Thursday.
Pant and Dowlais Girls and Boys Club, based in the Engine House is taking part in Night Out's Young Promoters Scheme. The group meet each week to co-ordinate a professional performing arts event in the community. 'Tattercoats', a modern day version of Cinderella, produced by Multi-Story, will be performed at the Engine House on Thursday, 2nd November, with a workshop taking place on 26 October at 6-8pm.
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Wales Assembly Government
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006 |
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