A COMMUNITY project hit by the Coronavirus pandemic has been given a welcome boost from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Meliden’s Y Shed project had been open for just nine months when the country went into lockdown.

The Grade II listed building, which had undergone a £1.2 million revamp after standing empty for years, is home to a café and four start-up businesses. All were forced to close, impacting the businesses, the project, and the community surrounding Y Shed.

Spearheaded by charitable housing association Grŵp Cynefin and Meliden Residents Action group, Y Shed had become a valuable part of village life.

Mair Edwards, Grŵp Cynefin’s Community Initiatives Manager, said: “In the short time since it opened, Y Shed had nurtured new businesses, provided a showcase for local artists and crafters and firmly established itself in the heart of Meliden. The sudden closure of the building, café, and businesses felt overwhelming.”

Thanks to the National Lottery’s Community Fund, Y Shed has been awarded £18,100 through its COVID-19 Top Up Grant.

“The benefits of this Covid-19 Top Up Grant from The National Lottery Community Fund will be far-reaching,” said Mair. “It allows us to cover losses of income plus meet ongoing costs associated with running and maintaining the building. In a short time, Y Shed and the businesses there had built up great customer bases, and this lovely old building has become a much-loved meeting place for the wider community.
“We want to make sure that when this is all over, we are here for all who work at, visit, or use Y Shed and the National Lottery funding supports us in doing that. Community resilience will play a part in helping the country recover, and places like Y Shed will be valuable in slowly and gently bringing people together again.”
Over the next six months, The National Lottery Community Fund are prioritising grant application for community activity related to COVID-19. To find out more visit www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/wales

Prestatyn to Dyserth Way

The Prestatyn to Dyserth Way opened as a three-mile railway from the Chester and Holyhead railway in 1869 and served the mineral trade largely transporting lead and limestone. A passenger service began in 1905 between Dyserth and Prestatyn with 30,000 people using it each year. The shed closed in 1957 and reopened briefly as business premises before closing again. The railway itself ran until 1972. Funding for Y Shed was secured from the Big Lottery Fund Wales, Denbighshire County Council, Gwynt y Mor, and trust funds.

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