VIPs at the Quarry Hospital

I had the pleasure to be invited to the launch of the Ein Treftadaeth / Our Heritage initiative, a 1.8 million £ scheme to improve the way we bring history and culture to life for residents and tourists alike. Walking will be a big feature of this initiative because it will sponsor the creation of the route for the Pilgrim Way North Wales, a 12 day walk from Holywell to Bardsey Island see www.pilgrim- way-north-wales.org ‘Ein Treftadaeth’/’Our Heritage’ is a £1.7m project to provide an integrated approach to heritage tourism across Gwynedd, Conwy and Snowdonia National Park.
The aim is to maximise the economic value of the area’s heritage, by increasing the volume, length and the value of visits. Gwynedd Council is leading the consortium in partnership with Conwy Borough Council and Snowdonia National Park. Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage Huw Lewis said
"Our historic environment is one of our most precious economic and social assets. It makes a powerful contribution to tourism and Wales’ attractiveness to investors. It can also contribute significantly to regeneration.
“I am therefore extremely pleased to be here today to congratulate Gwynedd Council and their partners who are developing such an imaginative project, which will celebrate the diversity and distinctiveness of the heritage of North West Wales.”

Gwynedd Council’s Economy Cabinet Member, Councillor John Wynn Jones said,
“As well as a stunning landscape of mountains and coastline, Gwynedd and the wider North West Wales area has a fantastic story to share with the world - from the Celts and Romans to the Princes of Gwynedd and on to the 19th and 20th century quarries which exported Welsh slate across the globe.
“By packaging our area’s fascinating historical attractions and presenting them within their wider context, the ‘Ein Treftadaeth’/’Our Heritage’ project has the potential to have a significant positive impact upon our growing heritage tourism industry.”
By using both traditional and new technologies, the project aims to deliver improved co-ordinated interpretation including at the Quarry Hospital, Parc Padarn, and Padarn Lake Railway to emphasise the importance of the rail and slate industries.
‘Our Heritage’ is just one of a number of schemes that has benefited from the Welsh Government funded Heritage Tourism Project, bringing to fruition new ideas for attracting visitors to heritage sites in Wales and thereby creating jobs in our communities.
The Heritage Tourism Project is a £19 million Welsh Government managed initiative, backed by the European Regional Development Fund, to develop heritage tourism across Wales. The success of the project hinges on an integrated presentation of heritage sites and the development of meaningful and memorable storylines, making connections between sites, places, people and communities.

 The staff at the old quarry hospital love to bring history alive. Here is matron discussing the use of bedpans with Dewi Davies Strategy Director of TPNW.