Libraries generic picture. Gwynedd Council could scrap its current mobile library service amid the success of a home book delivery scheme introduced during the pandemic. The mobile service previously used to visit around 140 rural communities at designated times, offering locals a chance to borrow from the limited selection of books and audio materials carried in the vans at any one time. But when the library service was partially restored last year, ongoing social distancing restrictions meant that it was no longer possible for people to climb onboard and browse. This saw the introduction of a new on-request home book delivery service, which saw users select a book of their choice – either over the phone or online – or alternatively to allow libraries staff to select books on their behalf based on their their preferences.
THE Welsh Government has been urged to extend a £2m fund designed to bolster rural economies in Welsh-speaking heartlands. Established in 2019, the scheme emerged from a Labour/Plaid Cymru budget deal in the Senedd and was designed to promote job creation across Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Anglesey and Gwynedd. Under the scheme, Gwynedd Council acted as the lead body for the four counties, with each receiving around £466,000 in funding. The money is meant to be used to develop the economy and create jobs in a bid to support the Welsh language in specific communities. But with the two-year pilot and subsequent funding set to dry up in March 2021, the Welsh Government has been urged to consider extending or setting up a similar scheme to allow further progress in the field.
Rural economy. File picture The Welsh Government has been urged to extend a £2m fund designed to bolster rural economies in Welsh speaking heartlands. Established in 2019, the scheme emerged from a Labour/Plaid Cymru budget deal in the Senedd and was designed to promote job creation across Anglesey, Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. Under the scheme, Gwynedd Council acted as the lead body for the four counties with each receiving around £466,000 in funding. The money is meant to be used to develop the economy and create jobs in a bid to support the Welsh language in specific communities. But with the two year pilot and subsequent funding set to dry up in March 2021, the Welsh Government has been urged to consider extending or setting up a similar scheme to allow further progress in the field.