PLANED supports 14 community projects with £150k funding bonanza!

Working across communities in Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, PLANED has supported 14 community led projects, where there is an emphasis on Welsh speaking communities and their ideas.

As part of the Welsh Government funded ‘Perthyn’ project led by Cwmpas, PLANED in West Wales,

and Partneriaeth Dolan in North Wales, work together to support Welsh speaking communities

create a strong economic base for people to come together.

The types of activities which are supported, includes the creation of new social & cooperative enterprises, as well as supporting existing ones, where the Welsh language can be more actively

used in both formal and informal settings.

The project also supports the creation of community led

cooperative housing developments, and the continuation of applicable Community Land Trusts, which PLANED has actively promoted for many years.

Cris Tomos, leading the Perthyn project for PLANED commented, “For us to be able to support 14 bespoke and innovative, community led projects here in West Wales across the counties has been a positive and welcome process.

The funds we have been able to lever, have further supported the larger community share offers to save local assets like the Crymych Arms, the Car Tref Un Chapel project, and Dryslwyn Stores.

This is in addition to funds to support the further development of the Penparc Community Land Trust in Ceredigion, Clynfyw CIC, and the Cwm Arian Renewable Energy

project.”

Iwan Thomas, Chief Executive for PLANED noted “Working in partnership with communities to lever in £150,000 of funding here across West Wales to those Welsh speaking communities primarily, or at least to projects who wish to deliver a sustainable increased use of the language in their activities, has been really worthwhile. Seeing the impact of this financial support for projects in West Wales, led by Cris in PLANED, including those at Trefin, Hayscastle, and Felinfach, alongside two others alone which saw their community share offers raise £250,000 in just one week,

demonstrates the value placed by communities on the retention and development of their local

assets.”

The Perthyn project has recently been confirmed for a further years funding by Welsh Government, with PLANED, Partneriaeth Dolan, and Cwmpas continuing to work together to focus on those key projects that support community ownership, development and innovation with a focus on the use

of the Welsh language.

06 Apr 2023