£200,000 Awarded for Llanfairpwll Memorial Hall Renovation Work

Llanfairpwll Memorial Hall Awarded Community Grant Llanfairpwll Memorial Hall has been awarded a grant of £200,000 towards the £302,400 cost of upgrading, extending and renovating the Memorial Hall for wider community use. The funding award was announced by the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt, as part of a list of successful projects throughout Wales that are to share £900k of Welsh Government funding for improvements to community-based facilities through the Community Facilities Programme.

The aim is to boost community well-being. Jane Hutt said: “Offering grants likes these to community-led projects helps to improve much needed facilities, which play such an important part in the lives of people throughout Wales. I want to reflect on and celebrate the huge contribution made by the third sector organisations and volunteers who work so hard within their communities to deliver vital help and support where it is most needed.” When the announcement was made there was celebration in Llanfairpwll.

However according to the Chairman of the Memorial Hall Committee, Councillor Alun Jones, the journey has not been an easy one: “There’s a saying in Welsh – ‘dyfal donc a dyr y garreg’ [If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again]. This is true of the Llanfairpwll Memorial Hall Committee. I can’t remember how many grant application forms we filled in – with the help of different official people – and those applications being refused. “In the end, after many years and numerous efforts to raise money by arranging concerts etc, weeks of research by various councillors, and of course help from Medrwn Môn’s Lyndsey Campbell-Williams (Lyndsey gave us advice and filled in all the application forms), we were successful and got a £52,000 grant from ICF. At the same time, Lyndsey applied to CFAP for £200,000 – and was successful again – after waiting nearly 6 months to hear the news. “We’re moving forward now – applying for planning permission etc.

As the Chairman of the Llanfairpwll Memorial Hall Committee I can’t thank people enough – the Committee members, Anwen Le Cras, the Clerk, Dewi from Dewis, and Lyndsey from Medrwn Môn. I have been very fortunate to have the support of all of them and it’s astonishing that they didn’t break their hearts months ago.” Applications for the Community Facilities Programme are open all year-round.

The Memorial Hall is an integral part of the village history. The expectation is to carry out improvements which will make it an important centre and hub with resources and facilities suitable for the young and old within the community.

There is still some work to do but we are confident that this project will finally move forward.

More details to follow on this important community project