Talgarth were informed of their success following the National Towns Network’s Committee meeting on Monday 13th August. Talgarth was one of six towns to be accredited with full membership status of the Walkers are Welcome (WAW) network which raises the profile of towns and villages that have something special to offer locals and visitors alike. Talgarth has been supported through this process by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority as part of its Walking with Offa’s project.
The official launch of Talgarth’s ‘Gateway to the Black Mountains’ Walkers are Welcome Group will be held during the town’s annual festival on 25th and 26th August in The Granary Room of the newly restored Melin Talgarth Mill. The group will be handing out ‘Walkers are Welcome’ stickers and the ‘Walks around Talgarth’ booklet – which was funded by the National Park Authority’s Collabor8 Interreg IVB project. The event will also showcase and trial one of the new electric cars which is fast becoming a popular mode of transport in the Brecon Beacons and is supporting the work of the National Park’s Eco Travel Network. These cars enable people to travel within the National Park in a fun and environmentally friendly way, and are a very useful service for people travelling to the area by public transport. The car available at the launch will also enable less physically able people to enjoy parts of some of the designated walks in the booklet.
Chair of Talgarth’s WAW bid, Nicola Willis, said ‘We are delighted to be the first town in the National Park to achieve this prestigious status and look forward to working towards creating a Walking Festival for locals and visitors in the near future. We see this as another key step in the regeneration of Talgarth.’
Richard Tyler, Sustainable Tourism Manager for Brecon Beacons National Park Authority said: “This is wonderful news for Talgarth and is another very successful string to their bow in becoming one of the most popular and proactive destinations in the National Park. This area has so much to offer and we have been very proud to support them in achieving this.”
The launch event venue will be shared with Talgarth and District Regeneration Group, who are celebrating volunteer activities in Talgarth. Part of this will be the presentation, to Chris Blake, Chairman of Melin Talgarth Mill, of a bench in memory of Richard, Lord Livsey of Talgarth, whose inspiration was instrumental in the vision for regeneration of the town. Richard’s widow, Rene will be attending the presentation of the bench which is scheduled for 2pm on Saturday 25th August. Refreshments, provided by The Bakers’ Table café will be available after the presentation.
The communities of Talgarth, Crickhowell and Hay-on-Wye are being supported by the National Park Authority to help them achieve Walkers are Welcome status as part of the ‘Walking with Offa’ project. This partnership project has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is supported by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and match funded by Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.
For more details please call Nicola Willis (Chair, Talgarth WAW) on 01874 713166 or email monstercottage@aol.com or Bob Martin (Acting Secretary, Talgarth and District Regeneration Group on 01874 711371) or Trish Doree, Information Officer BBNPA (01874 620 480).
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