£1m to help mark 150 years since first Patagonia voyage
A £1m lottery grant will help mark the 150th anniversary of Welsh travellers setting off for Patagonia.
The cash will go towards a new tourist and heritage centre within Eglwys Deiniol Sant, Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd.
The Grade II-listed church, closed since 2006, will be restored and brought back into community use.
It will have an exhibition space recognising local figures, including Michael D Jones, founder of the Welsh colony in Patagonia in 1865.
The Cylch y Llan project will explore the importance of Llanuwchllyn in terms of Welsh language and culture telling a number of stories, including that of the 153 passengers who set sail from Liverpool on The Mimosa, to start a new life in Argentina.
In total, the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a £1,032,700 grant to the project, which will also see a new 12-bed bunkhouse and centre for cyclists and tourists created.