Llandudno Museum expansion gets £35k Conwy council cash

Llandudno Museum has been promised an extra £35,000 by council bosses to fund its expansion amid rising costs.

The money will help cover a shortfall in costs, which have risen from £1.5m to £1.8m since last year.

Heritage lottery funding is covering the lion's share of the project, along with fundraising by the museum itself.

Goronwy Edwards, Conwy cabinet member for economic development, said the museum would be a "key site for heritage, culture and tourism".

The museum, currently closed pending redevelopment, is owned by a charity that has put on exhibitions, workshops, lectures and family activities.

The expansion plans include more exhibition space as well as a meeting room for local organisations that will double up as an education centre for visiting school groups.

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Improved disabled access and a lift are also proposed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The museum is in need of an upgrade and is planning on becoming a key cultural hub", said Councillor Edwards.

"The funding package is complete, all bar the £35,000 which is a great achievement for which they should be congratulated."

Greg Robbins, cabinet member for environment and transportation, also supported the granting of the money.

He said: "This project has been a labour of love for the people involved and has taken many years to get to this point.

"I think it would be absolutely unbelievable if this were to fail. It's a tiny amount of money when they have raised so much and worked so hard.

"I look forward to seeing it completed, it will be a great asset for not just Llandudno but Conwy overall."

Roy Haley, chairman of the trustees, said they were "absolutely ecstatic" to get the extra funding.

"It's a tremendous relief, especially to our project manager Dawn Lancaster who has worked her socks off," he said.

"It's been a six-year project and right at the end the builders' quote came in way over budget, but we've been able to trim it."