THE Llangollen Royal Pavilion, which hosts one of Wales’s “cultural gems”, will receive £1.6m for repairs.
On the first day of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod this week, heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones pledged the National Assembly for Wales’s support for the event by making £1m available for maintenance and refurbishment of the Pavilion.
Denbighshire County Council has promised an additional £600,000.
Mr Jones said: “The Llangollen International Festival is one of Wales’s cultural jewels.
“The annual eisteddfod attracts visitors and participants from all over the world and the annual festival makes a prominent and crucial contribution to the Welsh Assembly Government’s efforts to promote and develop cultural tourism.
“The eisteddfod pavilion lies at the heart of the efforts to build on the success of the festival to date.
“There is a need to repair the structure of the building and without this there might have been a threat to eisteddfodau in the near future. This money means that the structural work will be achieved before the Llangollen International Festival in 2010.”
He added: “Its flexible design allows for major concerts to be staged as part of the international eisteddfod and has also been a key component in the efforts to bring a wider series of cultural events to Llangollen all year round.”
Eleanor Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democrat AM, an honorary vice president of the eisteddfod, welcomed the news.
She said: “However, I now hope we will see a Government strategy to provide long-term sustainable funding for the eisteddfod.”
