Tory Senedd candidate apologises for tweet praising ‘natural beauty’ of Tryweryn lake

A Tory Senedd candidate has apologised for a deleted a tweet praising the “natural beauty” of Tryweryn lake.

Charlie Evans, who is standing in Dwyfor Meirionnydd, posted a picture of the man-made lake that drowned Capel Celyn on Twitter and added that Gwynedd’s “natural beauty” was “outstanding, and thankfully untouched by politicians”.

He was criticised on the social media platform for his tweet, with one man describing it as “the most ignorant faux pas” he had ever seen and another saying it was “truly sickening”.

It was pointed out that the picture was of Llyn Celyn a reservoir constructed between 1960 and 1965 in the valley of the River Tryweryn.

Construction of the reservoir for Liverpool Corporation Waterworks involved flooding the village of the Welsh-speaking Capel Celyn.

The Senedd candidate has now apologised for the tweet and told the Daily Post that he posted it “with the intention of showcasing the beauty of Snowdonia” and that he “should have made clear what happened there in 1965 was a moral failure.”

‘Intention’

He added: “I posted a picture of Llyn Celyn yesterday with the intention of showcasing the beauty of Snowdonia – and my pride at being the Welsh Conservative candidate for such a stunning constituency as Dwyfor Meirionnydd.

“On reflection, I should have made clear that what happened there in 1965 was a moral failure.

“The flooding of Capel Celyn and the driving of people from their homes was unacceptable, badly handled and should not be forgotten.”

Charlie Evans had tweeted the photo of Llyn Celyn saying: “I believe I am the luckiest @WelshConserv candidate standing in Wales #LlynCelyn #LoveWales #CaruCymru.”

After coming under fire for the tweet on Twitter, he added: “With respect, my picture has nothing to do with politics. The Cardiff Bay Clique has left behind Dwyfor Meirionnydd.

“Its natural beauty however is outstanding and thankfully untouched by politicians. They’d undoubtedly ruin it.”

Stacey Rees said: “Do people even know about Tryweryn? They should come up with a catchy slogan. Something like ‘Remember Tryweryn’. I don’t know why they haven’t thought of this.

Another critic on Twitter said: “This is truly sickening, Charlie. You need to brush up on your history before making such crass and demeaning statements. Absolutely disgusting.”