£550,000 EU boost for Llanelly House

29 Apr 2014 02:19 PM

 

A total of 11 jobs have been created at the newly restored Llanelly House which is cited as one of Wales’ most outstanding Georgian town houses.

The restoration of the18th Century Llanelly House was completed last autumn and was followed by the BBC’s Restoration series with celebrity interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.  

Now it is to receive extra support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government to enable it to develop digital exhibitions including an interactive tour and a genealogy service. The additional funding follows £2m of ERDF awarded to the project back in 2009.

Led by Carmarthenshire Regeneration Heritage Trust (CHRT), visitors can already enjoy a newly opened café on the premises, shop, and room hire for meetings and private functions.

The restoration forms a cornerstone of a wider regeneration strategy for Llanelli Town Centre and to encourage visitors and tourists to visit the town centre.

Announcing the funding, Jane Hutt said:

"I am delighted we have been able to back this project with EU funds. This is another example of how EU investments are having a positive impact on communities as well as attracting more visitors to the town and boosting the local economy. This demonstrates how Wales benefits from EU funds and our membership of the EU.

"EU projects delivering across Wales have already helped 172,900 to gain qualifications and some 56,300 helped into work, and created some 24,800 (gross) jobs and over 8,200 enterprises."

Carmarthenshire Regeneration Heritage Trust is a registered Charity and building preservation trust which aims to purchase and restore properties at risk and give them a new economic use.

Trustee Robert Pugh said:

"Llanelly House is our first project and to see people coming through the door is a delight and a privilege, we are exceeding our projected visitor numbers which is exciting. The additional funding will help to ensure that the facilities on offer at Llanelly House will encourage local people and visitors into the town centre, as well as to  Carmarthenshire and Wales."

Llanelly House operates a café, shop, and visitor centre, offers guided tours of the restored town house, and has booking facilities for meetings and functions. School tours will also be available from Easter 2014, while there is also space for local exhibitions and events.

Other funders have included the Heritage Lottery Fund, Cadw, Llanelli Town Council, Carmarthenshire County Council and GrantScape.