Llandrindod Wells Geopark charity receives £400 boost thanks to mayor and county councillor

The Heart of Wales Geopark enjoyed a successful annual public lecture and received a £400 boost.

The Mayor of Llandrindod, Councillor Steve Deeks-D’Silva, donated £200 from the Mayor’s Fund, and Powys County Council Leader Councillor Jake Berriman has also donated £200 to the Heart of Wales Geopark/Geoparc Calon Cymru.

The pair made the donations at the charity’s annual public lecture and annual general meeting at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod, on Saturday, April 11.

Councillor Deeks-D’Silva said: “Whilst enthusiastic volunteers may give their time for free, there are always expenses and it is so important the unique Llandrindod geology is studied so I was delighted to award the Heart of Wales Geopark £200 from the Mayor's fund to help with these costs.”

Councillor Berriman said; “Having just attended the AGM of the Heart of Wales Geopark / Geoparc Calon Cymru and spoken to the Chair, Joe Botting, I decided to help this small charity make a big impact on our budding palaeontologists by making a donation of £200 from my Llandrindod North Community Grant Fund to go towards young people's workshops in the coming months to be help spread the word about the globally important fossils found right here in the town.”

The Heart of Wales Geopark exists to publicise the stunning and internationally important geology of the area of mid-Wales around Builth Wells and Llandrindod Wells. The geopark is still in its early stages of development, with a lot of work going on behind the scenes.

Joe Botting added; “Gifts like this are incredibly important to us, as they allow us to cover our basic running costs, like insurance and web hosting, and we will also be using this to create outreach specimen collections.

“We want to thank everyone who has supported us so far, from the Metropole Hotel, to our wonderful speaker this year, Professor David Harper, to all of the visitors who came to enjoy the occasion. Onwards and upwards!”