A partnership set up to help Gwynedd slate communities benefit from their World Heritage Site status has secured £2 million for their work.

An award of £1.7 million from the Lottery Heritage Fund along with additional contributions from Gwynedd Council, Cadw, Amgueddfa Cymru, Eryri National Park Authority, Bangor University and the National Trust will finance an innovative new project called LleCHI LleNI until summer 2029. This project, aimed at celebrating and raising awareness of the World Heritage Site’s slate heritage, delivered by Welsh Slate Partnership, will include a wide-ranging programme of activities include outdoor activities, creative and cultural sessions, community research, and activities to safeguard heritage.

“This massive financial boost is great news to the slate communities and everone who lives in them,” said Lord Dafydd Wigley, Chairman of the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site Partnership Board.

“It will enable the Wales Slate Partnership, under the leadership of Cyngor Gwynedd, to work with people and communities throughout the World Heritage Site areas and wider afield, giving opportunities for young people to receive training, develop skills, gain knowledge and to volunteer.

“The success we had with this bid is thanks to many years of tireless efforts by individuals and organisations to gain the World Heritage Site status.

“It really does show that the status benefits all of us, and what is important is that we seek every possible avenue of support for our communities so they can maximise the opportunities that it may bring.”

The project will also celebrate the key significance of the Welsh language in the history of the slate industry and in the towns and villages that grew around it.

“The project will provide resources and activities to help Welsh language learners explore the World Heritage Site, learning about the heritage and improve their language skills at the same time,” said Gwynedd Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Nia Wyn Jeffreys.

“Likewise, there will be sessions with outdoor activities providers to raise awareness of Welsh names, heritage and culture.

“As the gap between young people in our communities and direct experience of our slate past grows ever wider, it’s important that we make a special effort to raise awareness and to celebrate the quarrying heritage and culture. Workshops in schools, and a scheme to twin schools with heritage partners will help us do this. Our Llysgenhadon Llechi Ifanc (Young Slate Ambassadors) initiative will provide experiences and opportunities to young people to appreciate our local distinctiveness, and training activities will enhance opportunities for them locally.

“We will also support the aims of the Sustainable Vistor Economy Strategy and encourage sustainable and community tourism that will seek to ensure respect towards the slate heritage, landscape and communities.”

Another element in the project’s mission will be to ensure the inclusion of all people in society, with a special effort to enage with specific groups that are sometimes harder to reach, including older and vulnerable people, people with disabilities, young families, LGBTQ+ people and young people facing homelessness.