The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales has gained support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop a major new project Capeli Cymru: Preserving the Nonconformist Heritage of Wales.
The Royal Commission has received initial support* from The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage in Need: Places of Worship strategic initiative which is investing a minimum of £15 million in projects that have an impact at a regional or national level. Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, this ground-breaking new project aims to safeguard the heritage of Welsh Nonconformity by ensuring it is preserved, understood, and valued for future generations.
Working in partnership with denominations, congregations, heritage organisations, and local communities, the project will develop innovative and practical strategies to safeguard chapel heritage across the country. A substantial step in informing this work will be a national chapel survey, which will map active, closed, and converted chapels across Wales, capturing data on their sustainability, architectural value, and the status of nationally protected heritage assets.
As well as working with denominations and congregations, volunteer networks and digital crowd sourcing opportunities will be established to draw on valuable local and regional knowledge about the status of these buildings. The findings of this survey will be shared via workshops and reports and will directly support the Royal Commission and project stakeholders in developing proactive policies and strategies for chapel buildings through the subsequent Delivery Phase. The data will also feed into Cadw’s national survey of historic assets and contribute to new and updated heritage listings.
By gathering new data, building partnerships, and raising awareness, the project aims not only to safeguard the most architecturally and historically significant chapels but also to ensure that their cultural legacy remains alive and accessible.
Stay connected with Capeli Cymru at:
For further information, please contact: capelicymru@rcahmw.kinsta.cloud
*Grant applications over £250,000 are assessed in two rounds. Capeli Cymru has initially been granted round one development funding of £151,833 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, allowing it to progress with its plans. Detailed proposals are then considered by the Heritage Fund at second round, where a final decision is made on the full funding award of £1.25m.
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
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