OVER £10,000 has been raised to create a trail through Tywyn to explore the area’s fascinating history.

Tywyn and District History Society has received a grant of £9,800 from the National Lottery and £1,275 from Tywyn Town Council for an exciting heritage project, a Town Trail.

The trail will consist of information display boards at several key locations and two leaflets offering a choice of short or long walks around the town, through the town itself or along the seafront.

Highlights of the scheme will include:

• A mile-long stretch of exposed petrified forest and peat diggings on the shore between Tywyn and Aberdyfi offers the best scientific basis for vanished lands in north Wales: the prehistoric ‘Irish Lake’, ‘Cantre’r Gwaelod’ and associated mythology.

• Tywyn’s Welsh language heritage stretches back to St Cadfan in the sixth century. Cadfan’s church became the ‘mother’ church of medieval Meirionnydd and is home to the earliest example of written Welsh in the country.

• The emergence of the slate industry and the Talyllyn railway, the first preserved railway in the world, which has enriched its position as a seaside resort with attractions taking visitors inland.

• The military heritage is more recent but particularly strong since World War 2, when Tywyn started a major involvement with army training which lasted until 1999.

History Society secretary Quentin Deakin, who is also a town councillor, said: “With this support we will be able to provide a town trail to share the history of our wonderful old town. We are confident the trail will improve the visitor’s experience, help to preserve our heritage and encourage young people to take pride in our rich history”.

“The society is grateful for the support and encouragement it has received for this bid from the wider community, including MP Liz Saville Roberts, county and town councillors, businesses, schools, churches, chapels and clubs.

“We are indebted to the help of local archivists, historians and those with memories of the town in the last century.”

The project has already involved liaison with local schools and their students, Merched y Wawr and the South Meirionnydd Older Peoples Forum.

As the project develops the society hopes to involving the community to an even greater extent through publicity events and activities.

The History Society is organising a celebratory New Year lunch on 16 January at the café of the Talyllyn railway.