Wales’ libraries, museums and archives set for funding boost
Local communities across Wales will benefit from improved and more accessible cultural facilities and library services thanks to approximately £1.8m of funding from the Welsh Government.
The Cultural Transformational Capital Programme will provide vital funding to 6 public libraries, 3 museums, and 2 archive services to help them modernise facilities, create a more sustainable future, and improve their offer to local communities.
The investment comes as part of the Welsh Government’s commitment to promote Wales’ cultural institutions whilst continuing to advance the Welsh language, sustainable development, tourism, the arts, reflecting the needs of local communities and contributing to their well-being as part of the government’s recently published Priorities for Culture.
“Vital spaces”
Jack Sargeant, Minister for Culture, said: “Cultural services across Wales provide vital spaces for communities to learn, connect, and engage with our rich heritage. This £1.8m investment will help transform these services to be greener, accessible, and responsive to local needs.”
He added: “Programmes like these have, and continue to be, a vital way for our cultural assets to ensure their services are fit for purpose, modern and that their delivery can become more sustainable.”
“Open and inclusive histories”
One of those awarded funding is the National Trust’s Powis Castle in Welshpool. Around £60,000 will go towards the transformational re-display of the tiger head finial from the throne of Tipū Sultān, a significant item in the internationally important South Asian Collection at Powis Castle.
The funding will support a redesigned exhibition space that places the object in its broader context, helping visitors to explore the complex colonial histories behind its presence in the South Asian Collection and engage more meaningfully with the stories it represents.
Shane Logan, General Manager at Powis Castle and Garden, said: “This vital support provided by the Welsh Government will allow us to share and discuss with all our communities, a key moment in British and South Asian history through the lens of Tipū Sultān’s tiger head finial.
“This is an exciting step forward not only allowing us to tell more open and inclusive histories but also inviting people to interrogate the past by understanding what it means to the people of Wales today and what it means to a more cohesive and equal Wales in the future.”
Other awardees include Shire Hall in Monmouth for a new museum, Wrexham Archives for stores fit for the 21st century and Penarth Library, Cardiff for a refurbished space for local history and a modernised community space
| Organisation | Project title | Total project cost £ | Total grant awarded
25-26 £ |
| Shire Hall, Monmouth | Delivery of a new Museum for Monmouth | £254,429.95 | £20,000.00
(& additionally, £208,849 for 26-27) |
| Wrexham Archives | Wrexham Archives Store fit for the 21st century | £350,000.00 | £315,000.00 |
| Neath Port Talbot Libraries Sandfields & Pontardawe Libraries | To create a more accessible, vibrant and modern area in each library to run activities, events and enhance our digital offer | £94,125.43 | £84,672.39 |
| National Trust Powis Castle, Welshpool |
Powis Castle South Asian Collection – ‘Eye of the Tiger’ | £68,356.70 | £61,520.70 |
| Penylan Library, Cardiff | Penylan Library and Community Centre | £137,995.00 | £100,000.00 |
| Penarth Library, Vale of Glamorgan | A refurbishment of the first-floor area in Penarth Library to improve our local history collection and provide modernised study, co-working, and hireable meeting spaces. | £87,356.98 | £78,452.94 |
| Glamorgan Archives, Cardiff | Environmental Sustainability at Glamorgan Archives | £349,013.75 | £70,000.00 (& additionally £244,000.00 for 26-27) |
| Swansea Libraries | Swansea Library Service – Y Storfa relocation | £349,013.75 | £314,013.75 |
| Parc Howard Museum, Llanelli | Parc Howard Museum activity room fit out | £118,198.10 | £100,000.00 |
| Corwen Library, Denbighshire | Corwen Library Refurbishment | £93,880.00 | £83,469.01 |
| Glan-yr-Afon Library, Haverfordwest | Glan-yr-Afon: Reaching its potential | £138,646.85 | £100,000.00 |
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