A memorial inspired by the nitroglycerine mixing shed machinery at Cookes Explosives works in Penrhyndeudraeth will be unveiled this weekend.

The memorial will be unveiled this Sunday, 14 May, at the North Wales Wildlife Trust Gwaith Powdwr Nature Reserve.

It has been created by renowned local sculptor Howard Bowcott and will be officially dedicated to those who worked at Gwaith Powdwr for over a century and the men and women who sadly lost their lives there.

The ceremony will take place in the now quiet woodland Gwaith Powdwr Nature Reserve, led by Mabon ap Gwynfor, MS for Dwyfor Meirionnydd.

The works opened on the edge of the village in 1865 providing explosives for the coal and slate mining industry and closed in 1995 with the demise of the mines.

The circular memorial is fashioned in the shape of engineering equipment which would have originally stood on the site and sits in woodland not far from the original wrought iron gates at the entrance to Cooke’s works.

The art installation is surrounded by replica sandbags and inscribed with poetry. It has been funded by grant money from North Wales Wildlife Trust (NWWT) Ramblers Cymru and Gwerin y Coed Ardal Penrhyn.

Meryl Roberts who is the leader of Gwerin Y Coed and the area's county and town councillor said: “We have wanted to have a permanent memorial here for over six years and I am delighted this project has now been completed.

“It is so important to remember the part Cooke’s played in our lives here in Penryhn. They were the main employer for over a century but it wasn’t just a place to work it was more of a big family with a social club and football team.

“Most families had someone working at the factory.

“I also lead the local Gwerin y Coed and children from the group and the volunteers of NWWT, have supported our wonderfully talented sculptor, Howard, in creating leaves which he has replicated on the memorial to represent the site’s return to nature."

Sculptor, Howard Bowcott is known for his slate pillars in nearby Blaenau Ffestiniog but has also worked on projects advising on and crafting public art from Cardiff Bay to Dubai.

He said: “Cooke’s is a very familiar site to me. I remember when it was a working factory, I only live half a mile away and I remember the hooter sounding to warn of a trial blast to test the explosives.

“I knew people who worked there and the manager at the time who was supportive of local artists and generously gave us tools and equipment when the site closed.

“I am well aware of what the place means to the community here in Penrhyn.

“When it came to designing a fitting memorial my research was based on familiarity and thorough historical research.

“I have had a connection with the site as a nature reserve too.”

Howard added: “The text engraved on the slates on the sculpture just came to me.

“It summarises the two things that are going on, a memorial to everyone who worked there and a celebration of the new life now.

“It is nice to remember the past but also important to celebrate the new life at Gwaith Powdwr”

Mr ap Gwynfor accepted the invitation to officiate at the dedication ceremony.

He said: “It is fitting to now be commemorating the lives and livelihoods of generations of men and women who worked at Cookes, many of whom are still very much part of our community and only just at retirement age.

“This dedication ceremony also affords us the opportunity to remember those who sadly, over the years, have lost their lives at the site.

“At the height of production, around 500 hundred people worked at the factory before it closed in 1995 as demand for mining explosives fell.

“I pay tribute to all those involved in bringing this memorial to life and hope it will serve as a respectful reminder of those who worked at Gwaith Powdwr.”

The site was decommissioned and acquired by North Wales Wildlife Trust in 1998 and is now a thriving nature reserve covering 24 hectares of land.

Luke Jones North Wales Wildlife Trust Reserves Officer said: “This memorial has been created to remember the former workers of the site. It commemorates the importance of Cooke’s Explosives to the local area and its history, while welcoming the transition of the site back to nature.”

Ramblers Cymru has worked with the NWWT as part of our Paths to Wellbeing project.

Amanda Hill, from the organisation said: “We have worked with 18 communities across Wales to improve walking within these communities, of which Penrhyndeudraeth is one.

“The Gwaith Powdwr site is important to the local community offering a beautiful greenspace to use, one of our 8 routes passes through the site.”

This Sunday, at 10am, a 5km walk from the main carpark in Penrhyndeudraeth will take place, with walkers then joining the unveiling of the sculpture at the reserve at 12 noon. To join the walk please contact [email protected].

Everyone from the community is welcome to attend the short ceremony at the former Cooke’s site on the Pont Briwet road on Sunday, when there will also be guided nature walks and refreshments with soup and cakes.

You can find out more details on the events page of North Wales Wildlife Trust website.