Aberystwyth is set to become the home of an archive charting almost 100 years of broadcasting in Wales after nearly £5m in grant funding was given the green light.

The ground-breaking project to create a National Broadcast Archive for Wales at the National Library of Wales – which would be the first of its kind in the UK – has secured a National Lottery grant of £4,751,000.

The National Lottery funding will help ensure around 240,000 hours of radio and television footage from Wales, charting almost 100 years of broadcasting and including many iconic moments from 20th century Welsh history and culture, will be made accessible and kept safe for future generations.

The treasure trove of material includes over 180,000 items spanning the Second World War, iconic sporting achievements, the Aberfan disaster, the campaign for devolution and the Miners’ strike.

It also contains unique pieces charting the development of the Welsh language and the productions of writers such as Dylan Thomas and Saunders Lewis, as well as recordings of early Welsh language broadcasts.

The BBC material – both original and newly digitised formats – will be added to the National Library’s existing ITV Wales archive, bringing the vision of a full National Broadcast Archive for Wales one step closer to reality.

Housed in a new 1,000 metre square, purpose-built storage facility at the National Library, the materials will also be made accessible to the public at four locations across the country.

Rhodri Talfan Davies, Director BBC Cymru Wales, said: BBC Wales’ archive is a treasure trove - the collective memory of a nation spanning nearly a century.

“So what better way to celebrate the BBC’s coming centenary in 2022 than to open up this remarkable resource to schools, colleges and communities the length and breadth of Wales.”

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