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16.03.2023

Even more content from the broadcast history of Wales will be made easily accessible to all, thanks to an additional award of nearly £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to the Wales Broadcast Archive.

Adaptations to the project, made possible by this award, will give far better access for people with disabilities, especially Deaf and hearing impaired people, or blind and visually impaired people.

The announcement was made last night, at the glittering launch of the Wales Broadcast Archive Centre – the first unified archive of its kind in the UK – where stars of radio and television saw first-hand how their work has been preserved for use by future generations.

Much of the additional funds will be spent on enhancing the accessibility at the viewing centres, improving the accessibility of the website and online archive, and provide a subtitling programme for content used for outreach projects.

Chief Executive and Librarian of the National Library of Wales, Pedr ap Llwyd said:

”We are enormously thankful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for this additional quarter of a million pounds. This archive of national significance will now be made even more accessible to all, and provide more people with a way of understanding the history and culture of Wales and its people, through the hundreds of thousands of hours of radio and television captured here.”

“With this funding for accessibility, we will be able to ensure that all can have the opportunity to access this innovative and comprehensive archive.”

Andrew White, Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales said:

“Broadcasting has played a major role in documenting the history of modern Wales – from heart-breaking news reports from the scene the Aberfan disaster; to inspirational lectures like Saunders Lewis’ Tynged yr Iaith, S4C’s first broadcast in 1982 and the high and lows of Wales football team at the Euros in 2016 and the World Cup in 2022.

“It has also allowed us to look back and learn about our heritage through programmes such as ‘The Dragon Has Two Tongues: A History of the Welsh’ in 1985, ‘The Story of Wales’ in 2012 and has put Wales on the map with popular series such as ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Keeping Faith’ and ‘Hinterland.’

“It is our privilege to support this important and ground-breaking project which will preserve and share the broadcast heritage of Wales so that today’s and future generations can appreciate, enjoy and learn from it for years to come.”

** Mae'r datganiad yma hefyd ar gael yn y Gymraeg**

--ENDS--
For further information and a full list of events, please contact Nia Dafydd: post@llyfrgell.cymru


Notes for the editor

The Wales Broadcast Archive Centre is an innovative project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Welsh Government, to bring a huge collection of digitised broadcast material to the National Library of Wales, and to make it accessible to everybody in Wales.

The material is being collected at the National Library of Wales due to agreements with the Welsh Broadcasters BBC Cymru Wales, ITV Cymru Wales and S4C. In addition to receiving a large body of digital material, the Library will continue to discover and digitise more broadcast material.

The National Library Wales Broadcast Archive Centre is a free permanent exhibition and will be open to the public from the 27th March 2023.

About the National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales

  • Using money raised by the National Lottery, we inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/in-your-area/wales
  • Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £30 million goes to good causes across the UK every week.
  • Follow @HeritageFundCYM on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund.