£1.7 million for museums and libraries in Wales

The Welsh Government has announced £1.7 million for museums and libraries.

The Cultural Transformation Capital Programme aims to enable public libraries, local museums and archive services to transform service delivery, to modernise their facilities, create more sustainable models of delivery, enable joint service working and improve the offer to people and communities.

The programme was extended to include museums and archives in 2017 and since then, £9 million has been provided to organisations across Wales.

The investment under the Welsh Government’s Cultural Transformation Capital Programme over the next two years will be shared between museums and libraries in Wales.

The funding includes £268,682 for the remodelling of Ystradgynlais Library in Powys and £300,00 for Swansea Library Service for relocation of the Central library as part of city centre regeneration plans.

There is £147,000 for a bibliotherapy project at Cardiff Hubs & Libraries, which will help patients better manage their own health and wellbeing through reading and £135,000 for new interactive history digital exhibition displays at The Rhondda Heritage Park, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Deputy minister for arts, sport and tourism, Dawn Bowden said: "I’m delighted to announce the successful projects which will receive this funding under the Welsh Government’s Cultural Transformation Capital Programme, which allows us to invest significantly in our local cultural sectors.

"This round of funding is supporting a wide variety of initiatives, from transforming spaces to be better used by their communities, enabling greater access and participation, whilst also supporting the health and well-being of users, to preserving collections for future generations.

"The support provided by our local museums, archives and libraries is essential to helping communities in Wales thrive, now more than ever. The Welsh Government is committed to continuing this much needed support for organisations at the heart of Welsh Culture, continuing to ensure that everyone in Wales has access to arts and cultural activities."

Image: Chris Allen / Rhondda Heritage Park