Creative Criccieth has been shortlisted for the 2024 Creative Lives Awards.

The awards shine a spotlight on the amazing creativity taking place in local communities.

A total of 34 creative groups shortlisted from across England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and voting is open until 29 July for the public to choose winner of People’s Choice Award.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on Thursday, 26 September.

Cllr Delyth Lloyd, Criccieth Town Council Chair, said: “Criccieth Town Council has built on its record of creative engagement and facilitated a number of imaginative community projects, which have involved countless volunteers in their design and delivery.

“We are incredibly proud that our innovative projects were recognised with a Creative Lives Wales Award in 2021, and that this is the third consecutive year we’ve been shortlisted for an award.

“Our projects, many in partnership, have involved voluntary associations, Ysgol Treferthyr, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, individual artists and other creative talents and, in addition to promoting creativity, have helped combat loneliness and are really appreciated.

“The creative driving force has been community efforts, drawing on talents from across the generations, from Welsh and non-Welsh speakers alike and from all districts of the town and several miles around.

“Thanks very much to everyone contributing and supporting us on our journey of community creativity. You can vote for us for a People’s Choice Award until 29 July.”

Council Clerk Dr Catrin Jones said: “To honour our past and present, filmmakers, a lot of paint, arts and crafts, and gardening have been used to enhance the community's vibrancy while simultaneously improving the quality of life for both residents and visitors, as well as spreading messages of love, compassion and inclusion.”

In the last year Creative Criccieth has worked to ensure the area looked bright and welcoming for the National Eisteddfod 2023. A bilingual exhibition in shops commemorated the Eisteddfod’s visit to Criccieth in 1975. Flags, bunting, colourful displays in empty shops, post boxes covered in knitted ‘toppers’, a dragon and pom pom arch, a painted ‘friendship bench’ and more greeted visitors. Recycled and re-usable materials were used in innovative ways.

An embroidered tapestry based on the 1839 Tithe Map which took 17 volunteers over a year to make. The embroidery of Criccieth fields was a trigger for the Cofnod 2023 project and Llŷn and Eifionydd schools created blankets of squares woven and embroidered with the ancient names of local places and a book was published about it.

Films were made in Ardudwy, Criccieth, Pwllheli and Talysarn with the intention of bridging the generations by encouraging community activity to investigate culture, language, history and secrets of the area which will not necessarily have been recorded in a traditional form.

The group also created seasonal post box toppers, colourful handmade Christmas trees and the creation of a panel for an international project to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

To learn more about the shortlisted projects and cast your vote, visit www.creative-lives.org/2024-shortlist.