The new partnership project, Collabor8, has been awarded the funding from the EU Interreg 4B programme – which was set up by Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. The project – worth around £1,700,000 – will allow local businesses to further increase activity tourism, local food projects, green accreditation and cooperative working. There will be project teams in each area to work with groups of businesses who accept the challenge.
The Interreg 4B programme helps organisations across Europe work in partnership on common projects, learn from each other’s experiences and then put those lessons into practice. The Collabor8 project links nine partners across North West Europe. These Partners include Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, South Downs and West Country Rivers from the UK together with others from Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.
John Cook, Acting Chief Executive for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority said: “This is extremely exciting news, particularly since funding for tourism is under such pressure at present. All the actions are within the Sustainable Tourism Strategy anyway so we are not being diverted from our core tasks but it will enable us to get a lot more done over the project timetable.
“We are also very pleased to be working with Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council on this project. They have always been good partners of ours and we look forward to strengthening these links.”
Councillor Jeff Edwards Leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council welcomed the investment: “I am delighted that we have been successful in securing an allocation of grant worth around £1 million to develop further the hospitality and activity tourism sector in Merthyr Tydfil. Our main objective within this project will be to strengthen the hospitality business sector so that they develop new innovative ways of working locally whilst learning from our European project partners.”
-ENDS-
Pictures: Copyright of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority and Interreg
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The partners in the COLLABOR8 project are:
• South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd. (IRE) – (Lead Partner);
• Cattle Market Quarter Foundation (NL);
• DLG Government Service for Land and Water Management (NL);
• Flemish Land Agency (BE);
• West Country Rivers Trust (UK);
• South Downs Joint Committee (UK);
• Tourism East-Flanders Ltd;
• Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority (UK);
• Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (UK).
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park is a landscape that offers a legacy of unparalleled proportions with spectacular mountain ranges, internationally renowned geology, bountiful wildlife and diverse recreational opportunities. It contains some of the most spectacular and distinctive upland formations in southern Britain and covers an area of 1347 sq km (520 sq miles).
For further press information please contact:
Samantha Scutt
PR and Events Officer, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority
Telephone: 01874 620 420
Email: samantha.scutt@breconbeacons.org
Or
Ceri Edmunds-Davies
Project Officer, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
Telephone: 01685 725166
Email: ceri.edmundsdavies@merthyr.gov.uk