NEIGHBOURING projects have won top awards presented by the Welsh Government and the minerals industry. ‘Calch’ won the heritage award, while the Cwmllynfell multi-use games area won the community award.
Both winners, ‘Calch’, a Black Mountain Quarries Project, based near Brynamman and the creation of a community park in Cwmllynfell are funded by the Aggregates Levy Fund for Wales. The two projects were supported by a fund in 2014, where ‘Calch’ received £100,500 and Cwmllynfell, £87,000.
While coal, copper and iron are celebrated for the part they played in the Industrial Revolution, less is known about limestone, which transformed the agricultural, industrial and social history of Wales.
The Black Mountain lies between the rural and industrial communities of South Wales and provides wonderful views across the Carmarthenshire countryside. It is a wonderful place to visit, in order to learn about industrial heritage, wildlife, social history and geology of the area. It also establishes links with existing heritage tourism and community initiatives. The ‘Calch’ project looks to improve access and interpretation at the Black Mountain quarries.
The community park in Cwmllynfell, at the far western edge of Brecon Beacons National Park, is not the first in the area. A decline of heavy industry saw the fall of the original park, which was a legacy to the village’s industrial heritage, fall into disrepair. The Community Council decided to take action; plans were agreed and funding was secured from the Aggregate Levy and the Community Landfill Fund. Now, the park has been transformed into a multi-use games area and skate park, which includes a zip slide and a shelter for young people.
When Gareth Jones opened the park, he repeated the words of the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones: ‘Projects like this contribute to the Welsh Government’s vision that everyone in Wales should live in well-connected, vibrant, viable and sustainable communities with a strong local economy and good quality of life’.
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