The volunteers and residents of Borth involved in their community hub deserve full credit for taking on the task of running Ynyslas Visitor Centre, which is set to reopen this month.

Full credit? Yes. If nothing else that they have stepped up when the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales have simply abrogated their responsibilities and walked away from running the three visitors centres across our nation.

The Ynyslas centre, along with Bwlch Nant yr Arian near Ponterwyd and Coed y Brenin near Dolgellau, was shut in March by bosses at NRW to cut costs.

The community hub has entered into a community management agreement with NRW to operate a community space at the visitor centre, The agreement will allow the building to be used for activities and workshops to engage with and benefit the local community.

It’s hoped that other community entities will step in to save the other visitor centres. But hope alone won’t pay bills, and neither will selling teas and coffees. NRW, in its callousness, has allowed the car park of Ynyslas to be taken over by a third party commercial operator, depriving Borth Community Hub of an important revenue stream just when it stepped in to take over the work the Welsh Government entity should undertaking.

Reacting to the reopening of the Ynyslas centre, Elsie Grace, NRW’s Head of Sustainable Commercial Development, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Borth Community Hub. We recognise the great work they do in the community, providing a range of services which help support people.

“Choosing a partner who will provide long-term, sustainable health and well-being benefits to the area was at the forefront of our decision making.”

Well, Ms Grace, your words ring very hollow indeed. Your agency has abrogated its legislative and legal responsibilities to protect the unique Unesco biosphere and had little real knowledge of what the wardens at staff at your centres did.

For the agencies willing to step in and keep the centres operating as best they can for now speaks volumes. And so does the manner in which your agency treated those staff. And the communities they so willingly helped.

Shame on you, NRW. Shame on you.