Deal will ‘protect and promote our fantastic Roman legacy’

Nicholas Thomas Local Democracy Reporter

A new deal has been agreed to promote a town famed for its Roman amphitheatre and baths to help bring in more visitors.

Newport City Council will work with two heritage organisations which already manage some of the town’s main tourist attractions.

Museums service Amgueddfa Cymru runs the National Roman Legion Museum, while Cadw – the Welsh Government’s historic environment service – cares for the Roman Fortress Baths and amphitheatre.

Roman legacy

City council leader Jane Mudd said three organisations shared a “common purpose” to “protect and promote our fantastic Roman legacy”.

“We are also all committed to ensuring that the opportunities offered by Caerleon are beneficial to the local community and businesses as well as visitors,” Cllr Mudd added.

“We recognise that residents and other stakeholders need to be a part of this process as we seek to help more people discover the area’s treasured history.”

As reported previously by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council hopes the proposed partnership will “ensure the assets and heritage of Caerleon are recognised, promoted and managed for the benefit of residents and visitors in a collaborative way for the long term”.

Two members of each organisation will sit on a new governance board, alongside two “community representatives”.

Those board members will also run a steering group aimed at bringing more tourists to Caerleon.

Vandalism

Other aims of the new partnership include developing the town as a “centre of conservation skills excellence, and raising awareness of the importance of heritage sites to reduce local vandalism”.

That follows several reports of damage to Caerleon’s Roman amphitheatre in recent years.

Welcoming the new partnership, Jane Richardson, chief executive of Amgueddfa Cymru said: “At Amgueddfa Cymru, we want to provide high-quality visitor and learning experiences, and to make stronger connections between our collection and communities.

“The National Roman Legion Museum’s education and learning programmes are a key part of our work. We’re delighted to be working with Cadw and Newport City Council to establish Roman Caerleon and to… improve how we tell the story of Wales to a wider audience.”

Gwilym Hughes, the deputy director of Cadw, added: “Caerleon’s internationally important Roman heritage and other historic assets deserve to be better known and appreciated.

“We look forward to joining with our partners, the community and other stakeholders to improve our heritage and tourism offer for the town and visitors’ benefit.”