WIREDGOV

Partneriaeth Ogwen Cyf is a social enterprise which has been established by the three community councils in the Ogwen Valley and one of their projects is to upgrade an empty property on the high street to develop a local services shop.  

Siop Ogwen will offer a new office for the police, an office for a fulltime clerk for the three community councils, with spaces for a range of other services, such as advice services.  Half the shop will be available for members of the local produce market to trial the selling of their produce on the high street on a low cost and low risk basis.

The project has been backed by a Property Enhancement Grant which has been  funded through the Mon a Menai Regeneration Programme of the Welsh Government.  In total the Ogwen Valley has benefited from £500,000 from the programme.

On a visit to the project the Minister said:

“Encouraging people back to our high streets is vitally important for communities.  Siop Ogwen will help to do that in Bethesda and the Ogwen valley, by including an opportunity for local producers to sell their products and by providing important services such as a new office space for the police.  It also brings an empty property back into use.

“I am also pleased to have seen some other properties which have benefited from the same Welsh Government investment.  This is an exciting time for the area with the successful Zip Wire attraction nearby  and this development shows the town is working to take advantage of these developments.”

Gwynedd Council’s Economy Cabinet Member, Councillor John Wynn Jones said:

“These excellent community projects are the result of real partnership working between the local community, Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Government and financial support from a range of sources including the European Union.

“From the start we have been particularly impressed by the vision and drive of local people to take responsibility for regenerating their own community. We very much hope that this work will act as an example to other Gwynedd communities of what can be achieved when people come together to achieve a common goal.”