Public meeting to discuss the future of under-threat Ynyslas Visitor Centre

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00:00 [Background noise]

00:15 We will be looking for expressions of interest to work with us.

00:19 So the other thing to say is, unassessable not to be closing on the 31st of March, just to be really clear.

00:25 We are out for recruitment for seasonal staff for all of our visitor centres now.

00:31 So if anybody thought that, that is key.

00:34 And we are looking to keep things going as long as we can.

00:38 And it is difficult. We are running on small teams that rely on a lot of goodwill.

00:45 But we want to work with people to find a solution that is long term viable and will help.

00:52 If a community interest organisation or something similar were to come forward,

00:57 do you have the flexibility to give them that length of time needed?

01:01 Because some grants for example and funding streams, there are lead in times for those.

01:06 And it would be a shame if something is possible that we were to lose it just because of some arbitrary cut off date.

01:12 Is there a flexibility of support so that if there is a solution in the community,

01:16 that we have the time to find the funding sources for it?

01:20 I think we would be delighted if we could find, if we could enter into discussions on something like that.

01:26 We would be delighted to do that.

01:28 I don't, you know, we don't have a plan, we don't have a timeline.

01:32 But I think if there was serious negotiations, serious discussion, based on the list of things that we would do.

01:40 Because there are things that we can't delegate and wouldn't, we need to maintain ourselves.

01:44 I think we would be really delighted if we were to enter into those conversations.

01:48 I'm not sure, you know, I'm not sure we can spend five years like we did with Garyland.

01:52 I think we need to move it faster than that.

01:55 But I think we are open, we want to, you know, not to negotiate that.

01:59 We're open to discussions and a roadmap.

02:03 But I understand that we need a bit more clarity of what's in and what's out and what we need to do.

02:08 As well as our flexibility around that.

02:11 So, that would be great.

02:13 If we could move forward with that, we would be, that's the place for us to end.

02:19 I'd like this to be, not the first, but the last.

02:22 I think from hearing, from what you've said to me, the meeting we had before Christmas.

02:28 That NRW, and as you've said here tonight again.

02:32 That NRW has different competing priorities and a shrinking pot of public funds that it can do everything with.

02:41 I do understand that these visitor centres were really built in a time of plenty.

02:49 There were significant European funds that went into the development of all of them.

02:55 Especially some of the bigger ones.

02:57 And now at a time where it's not a time of plenty for the public purse as we know everywhere.

03:03 One thing I was really pleased to hear you say tonight, by the way.

03:07 It's a step from where we have come from.

03:10 Is that you will maintain the running of the visitor centre beyond the end of March.

03:15 Because I think the worst possible option for us would have been.

03:19 If NRW withdrew the visitor centre and closed it down at the end of March or at the end of April.

03:25 And nothing else was set up to take over immediately day one after that.

03:30 That would have been the worst possible option.

03:32 So we have something here now where we can work to persuade NRW to keep it as it is.

03:38 Or we can think about what else we can offer as a community to work alongside NRW.

03:44 As it transfers a direct provision to a more community oriented one.

03:49 So that's how I see things at the moment.

03:52 And I'm happy to work with whichever one of those models the community here in Bath wants to pursue.

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