22 January 2004
A New Route for Aberystwyth’s Old Railway Station

European Objective 1 funding is set to transform Aberystwyth’s derelict old railway station into a sustainable business, which will bring benefits to all sectors of the community.

The voluntary organisation Ceredigion Recycling And Furniture Team – CRAFT – has been awarded an Objective 1 grant of nearly £1.5million towards the £2.6million project of turning the railway building and site into an innovative furniture recycling centre.

The project, aptly known as ‘Dim Pen Y Daith’ (Not The End Of The Line), will create a number of full and part time jobs. Once it is up-and-running it will provide an information centre and other facilities open to visitors. It will be an unusual and interesting place to visit, with the new furniture workshop itself built of recycled and recyclable materials, and sporting a turfed roof.

Chairperson of the Objective 1 Partnership Management Board, Cecilia Barton, expressed her contentment at a long job well done: “This award is the culmination of more than two years of hard work by all parties concerned. The project was developed under the Growing Communities Scheme before the introduction of Objective 1, so it’s fantastic to see it finally getting the recognition it deserves.”

Andy Rendell, Co-ordinator of CRAFT, stated: “We are tremendously excited about what will be a wonderful resource for this area. Local residents will be able to bring their unwanted furniture and other reusable household goods to the centre, which will then be restored and sold at affordable prices to people in particular need and to the general public. In the process, the work will provide much needed employment, training and volunteering opportunities for disadvantaged local people. We aim to create an impressive, environmentally-friendly centre which will bring long-term benefits to our community, and we can’t wait to see all our hard work and planning come to fruition.”

Ceredigion County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development Tourism and Training, Cllr Ray Quant, endorsed these comments, adding: “This will bring a variety of benefits to the Aberystwyth area, and is fully in harmony with the Council’s Waste Management Strategy. Dim Pen Y Daith is a great example of what can be achieved with vision and perseverance.”


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