Welshpool Town Council have secured a grant of over £160,000 to cover renovation work in transforming the town’s Tourist Information Centre.

At the council’s final full meeting of 2023, town mayor Cllr Nick Howells shared the news that the council had received funding from a grant that will go towards the cost of turning the town’s Tourist Information centre into a multi-use facility that would house the council offices as well as offer improved public toilets for the town.

Former town clerk Anne Wilson, who retired from the role in November, applied for the grant earlier in 2023 shortly before leaving.

News of the grant was received warmly by councillors, as the £164,342 will cover the cost of renovations to the facility, which were budgeted at £137,000. Without the grant the council would have likely applied for a public works loan.

The news comes at the end of a year which has seen success for the centre following an earlier overhaul of the site, with the council reporting strong footfall throughout the year.

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At a meeting of the Tourism and Events Committee in April, the centre’s manager presented a report on the work of the Tourist Information Centre, covering the footfall through the centre, the sale of train tickets from the centre and other matters pertaining to the facility.

The centre also reported taking in an estimated £12,000 from products sold at the facility, such as silk scarves, calendars and pictures of the Powys area.

Cllr Alison Davies added: “What we like to see is local people using it as a source for information. While it may be called the Tourist Information centre it should be a useful facility for everyone in the area, not just visitors.

“It’s good to see all these goods making a difference, using space in the Information Centre and also turning a profit while the centre continues to fulfil its function, supplying the town it was designed to deliver.”

Renovations to the centre are expected to be completed in 2024.