The visitor centre at the historical Strata Florida has reopened thanks to support from a local trust.
Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, has joined forces with the Strata Florida Trust in a collaborative arrangement to safeguard and enhance this treasured Welsh heritage site with local people now managing the site and visitor centre.
Strata Florida – meaning ‘Vale of Flowers’ in Latin – is a grand medieval abbey in Ceredigion where generations of Welsh princes are buried, with the Cistercian abbey having stood on the banks of the river Teifi since 1184.
The Strata Florida Trust’s staff and volunteers, already working on the restoration of the Mynachlog Fawr farmhouse and farm buildings nearby, will manage the area as part of a pilot until October.
The Trust runs a free-to-enter exhibition next door to the abbey, which tells the story of the farmhouse and the local and agricultural history, through a range of objects from within the farmhouse, from a spinning wheel to grandfather clock and historic tools.
As part of Volunteers Week, the Minister for Culture Jack Sargeant, visited the site [Monday 2] to pay thanks to the Trust, its staff and its passionate volunteers for their commitment to ensuring the abbey remains open and accessible.
Latest stats show 30% of people in Wales have volunteered, with the Welsh Government investing over £4.6 million in grant funding over the past 3 years through Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
This has resulted in nearly 2,800 new volunteers aged 11-25 and over 6,300 new volunteers aged 25 plus – with a combined total of nearly 420,000 hours of volunteering taking place.
The Minister said:
“Like many attractions, the Strata Florida visitor centre closed during the Covid pandemic but it has now had the opportunity to reopen, with Strata Florida Trust’s dedicated staff and volunteers taking the lead.
“Volunteering is vital to the well-being of our local communities; not only is it good for those who give, but for those who benefit. Their commitment, along with that of the Trust’s staff, has been instrumental in making this significant site of Welsh heritage available to visitors once again. Diolch yn fawr pawb.”
To help in making Welsh heritage more accessible, the partnership is trialling free entry to the entire site, with visitors encouraged to make voluntary donations to support the ongoing conservation and operation of this nationally significant monument.
Mick Taylor of the Strata Florida Trust, said:
“I’m delighted the Trust has partnered with Cadw for the benefit of Wales and beyond.
“Strata Florida is central to Welsh cultural identity, cherished nationally and internationally. Building on its legacy as a spiritual, political and literary centre with environmental lessons to teach, we’re working to transform the site for future generations.”
The site will be staffed daily from 10am to 4pm until 31 October. For more information on Strata Florida and other historical sites across Wales, search for Cadw.
