A PROJECT which hopes to turn a neglected Llyn chapel into a vibrant community centre has been successful in its bid for £50,000 of lottery funding.

Members of Hafod Ceiri, a group which aims to transform the large and dilapidated grade-II* listed Capel Llithfaen, have said they are “delighted” after securing an initial grant from the Big Lottery’s Community Asset Transfer 2 programme.

The money will now be used to develop more detailed plans for the chapel, which was built in 1906 to accommodate a larger congregation but has since slipped into disrepair as the number of worshippers has dwindled.

Speaking to the Cambrian News this week, Sianelen Plemming, spokesperson for Hafod Ceiri, revealed the exciting plans for the chapel.

“It is a huge building and we are hoping to develop it into a multi-purpose centre which would have a cafe, a cinema, holiday units, and a heritage centre to interpret the history of the Tref Ceiri Iron Age hillfort,” she said.

“It is just exciting that we have had this money to develop more accurate plans.”

Hafod Ceiri’s ultimate aim is to secure a total of £900,000 from the Big Lottery’s £9m CAT2 programme, which aims to provide both capital and revenue funding to support the transfer of assets, such as land and buildings to community ownership.

Read the full story in this week’s Arfon/Dwyfor edition of the Cambrian News