Llanelli Town Centre’s history to be celebrated in a digital exhibition

LLANELLI residents are being urged to dig around in their attics for old photographs that may help shape the future of the town centre.

Pictures of Llanelli Town Centre as it has looked over the ages are being sought by ADREF, the European-funded project group which is undertaking a major redevelopment of Stepney Street, Vaughan Street and surrounding areas.

The group has teamed up with CultureNet, an organisation funded by the Welsh Government which promotes and celebrates the history and heritage of Wales by helping communities to create digital stories and exhibitions.

Members of the ADREF team will be collecting and collating old images, from the Victorian era right through to the 1990s, at a BBC roadshow being held at Parc Y Scarlets on Sunday, July 3.

They are hoping members of the community will share their pictures and stories to help create a digital timeline exhibition to be displayed at the ‘hub’ – a central information point in the town centre which will allow people to get involved in the redevelopment scheme.

Physical regeneration and project officer Simon Rees said: “We would really like people to bring us their old photographs of Llanelli Town Centre as it has looked over the years. We’re also hoping to see some photographs that will show major events that have happened in Llanelli and other parts of the town that form part of its history, such as the docks.

“By doing this we will be able to create a digital timeline which will tell the story of the town centre and help us to shape its future development.”

Photographs will be digitally scanned at the roadshow and handed back to their owners.

Cllr Clive Scourfield, executive board member for regeneration, said: “This is a wonderful way to capture history as local people have experienced it.

“The town centre has been at the heart of the Llanelli community for generations, and with a new redevelopment underway, now is the ideal time to celebrate its history.”

The ADREF project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.