Fine art comes to the rescue in campaign to save Eryri waterfall

National Park campaigners who have been battling to save one of the Eryri National Park’s most striking waterfalls have received support from a fine artist’s donated works.

The waterfall, Rhaeadr y Cwm on Afon Cynfal near Ffestiniog, and its gorge are threatened by small scale hydro-electric scheme which would see, at times, nearly 70% of its water diverted through a pipe around the waterfall.

Jeremy Yates, a former President and now Vice-President of the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art has supported the campaign by the Snowdonia Society, creating two original paintings of the waterfall which are being auctioned to raise money for the campaign.

Opportunity 

Jeremy Yates, who taught art with Bangor University and art history with the Workers Educational Association (North Wales), said: “This invitation has given me the opportunity not only to support this vital ecological campaign but also to work on a view made famous by Cox and other artists before me.

“I chose to use his viewpoint to reinforce the importance and significance of this remarkable unspoiled place.”

 Rory Francis, Director of the Cymdeithas Eryri Snowdonia Society added: “This form of fundraising seems particularly appropriate, as the waterfall was famously depicted by David Cox in 1836 in his iconic painting Rhaiadr Cwm, now in the British Museum in London.

“We are hugely grateful to Jeremy for creating these beautiful paintings. The plan now is to auction them to raise money for the campaign and our work protecting the and enhancing the special features of the Eryri National Park.”

The planning application was lodged in July 2024 and could be determined by the National Park’s Planning and Access Committee as soon as 12 November.

Scenic feature

The formal consultation period on the application for the hydro-electric scheme closed at the end of September 2024, with over 1,000 individual objections submitted by the members of the public.

As well as being a notable scenic feature in the Eryri National Park, the Rhaeadr y Cwm gorge and waterfall form part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), designated partly for its rare assemblage of damp-loving mosses and liverworts. Removing significant amounts of water would threaten this habitat.

Furthermore, the amount of renewable electricity generated by the scheme would not be significant. The capacity of the scheme would be 600kW.

Using output data from wind turbines proposed for the Y Bryn wind farm in south Wales which would have a capacity of 7.2MW, it would take twelve similar hydro-electric schemes to generate the amount of electricity of just one modern wind turbine.

A coalition of six conservation groups has come together to protect, the waterfall. Besides the Snowdonia Society, this includes Save our Rivers, the British Mountaineering Council, the North Wales Rivers Trust, Buglife, Plantlife and the North Wales Wildlife Trust.

The auction is being hosted on the Cymdeithas Eryri website

Since 1967 the Snowdonia Society has worked to ensure that Snowdonia is protected, well-managed and enjoyed by all. Through their conservation work they provide a voice for Snowdonia’s landscape.