LLANWRTYD and District Heritage and Arts Centre has been awarded almost £10,000 of National Lottery funding to develop a heritage trail.

The trail will be developed around the town and surrounding area to highlight the places of interest and provide more information about the history of the various locations to locals and visitors alike.

The £9,500 grant will fund identification plaques, bearing the logo of the centre and information about the specific building, and encourage visitors to visit the heritage centre to find out more information.

“This project has been under consideration for some time,” said Lynne Brookes, the centre manager. “We are delighted to receive this support from the National Lottery which now allows us to proceed.”

In the centre there will be a permanent display giving details of each location and showing a trail map around the town. Brochures with further information about each location will be available. In addition, there will be a display board showing the details of the trail at the entrance to the train station.

“We are very lucky to be working with long standing residents whose families have lived here for generations and are able to provide previously unknown snippets of historical information which will give the visitor, and indeed, other residents a unique look into the Llanwrtyd of the past,” added Lynne.

“It is hoped that this trail will encourage visitors to walk around the town, thus benefitting local shops and cafes as well as come into the centre to find out more.”

It is envisaged that the trail will be established by the middle of the season, following the re-opening of the heritage centre last Thursday, May 20, having been closed for more than a year.

The centre is also reopening with a new exhibition entitled ‘Memories of Llanwrtyd’, displaying photographs previously unseen of the town in bygone days.

This nostalgic theme is complemented by work in the galleries from two very talented artists working in beautiful and tactile materials.

Wendy Chamberlain is exhibiting her stunning ceramics at the centre for the first time with items inspired by nature in the form of leaves, seeds and shells. Her pieces often represent spirals and ferns, especially the unfurling new fern shoots found in the undergrowth of the countryside. This new life is called ‘Koru’ by the New Zealand Maori and symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace, so ‘Koru Craft’ was a perfect name chosen by Wendy for her work.

Nature in all its glory is also captured in the beautiful glassware being displayed by Irene Funnell who is inspired by the hills and coasts of Wales. The colours and textures of rocks, sand, sea and sky are suggested by the juxtaposition of glasses of different composition which react together to create the effect of subtle shading and fusing, while the elements of the countryside – trees, woodland creatures and the four seasons – are created using a variety of methods including cutting, fusing and painting.

In other centre news, four artists living in the Llandovery area who have worked together and been friends for many years, are displaying their work in the galleries during June.

The diverse artistic talents of Ann Page, Gorica Bulcock, Sue Reah and Val Fowler cover various subjects, predominately inspired by the stunning surroundings in which they live and include landscapes, flora and fauna, still life as well as abstracts. The paintings incorporate the use of various mediums including oil, watercolour, acrylic, inks and pastels.

Having such differing styles makes for an exciting exhibition with something to appeal to everyone and their wall art is complemented by a beautiful range of textiles including totes, patchwork, cushions and aprons.

NewStartArt will be exhibiting at the centre from Thursday, June 3. The centre is open Thursday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm with safeguards in place to protect visitors and staff.