PROTESTS were held over the weekend at Coed y Brenin and Ynyslas visitor centres as Natural Resources Wales continues to ponder their futures.

An internal consultation was held over the summer with staff at these two centres and Bwlch Nant yr Arian near Aberystwyth – the results of which have not yet been revealed.

On Saturday, supporters came out in force, calling on NRW to keep the doors to these important community assets open.

Community-based groups have offered to run all three sites but are yet to receive a response from NRW, who say they will be making a decision ‘later this autumn’ – thought to be in November - as it looks to withdraw retail and catering in a bid to plug a £13 million budget deficit.

In total 265 jobs have been put at risk of redundancy at Natural Resources Wales with 200 vacancies available.

At Ganllwyd, a local group, Caru Coed y Brenin, has offered to take over the running of the visitor centre with the charitable organisation that runs Aberystwyth Cliff Railway proposing it takes over Bwlch Nant yr Arian and has also shown interest in keeping Ynyslas open.

NRW has warned however that the process may take a few years.

The three sites attract more than 750,000 visitors annually and there is great concern over the impact any closures would have on the local economy.

One Senedd member, Luke Fletcher, said during a recent petitions committee debate: “What a signal to send – Wales is closed …”

Nearly 100 groups, including Cycling UK, Beicio Cymru and Disability Sport Wales, signed a letter to Huw Irranca-Davies, Wales’ climate change secretary and deputy first minister.

The threat of closure has been met with mass opposition with a 13,000 strong petition being put before Senedd members on Wednesday, 9 October.

The Chair of the Senedd’s Petitions Committee, Carolyn Thomas MS, was in Ynyslas on Saturday to meet protesters.

Speaking to those gathered, one of the organisers, Polly Ernest, who has been fighting for the best part of a year t save the centre from closure, said: “This centre is so central to keeping what we love so much in the community alive.

“There are so many of us here today, but NRW don’t have the staff to collect the £4 parking fee, so they are losing out on revenue.”

Local resident and former Ceredigion MP, Mark Williams who attended the rally and demonstration told the Cambrian News: “Saturday’s protest clearly demonstrated there is no appetite amongst local people for closure, let alone the thousands of visitors that visit the centre each year. It is amazing to think that in the heart of the world renowned Dyfi Biosphere, closure is even being considered”

“NRW have shown contempt for local people. On 1 March in a public meeting in the Community Hall in Borth, they promised they would be back once plans were drawn up, to the local community in another public meeting. Instead, they hold an internal consultation, which will report to their Board.

“Do they need reminding that they are a public body, and should be accountable to the people, not simply to whom they choose to speak to.

“Once again, I sincerely hope our elected representatives will continue to press the case against the closure of the three visitor centres.

“There is much more at stake, than simply losing the chance to buy a coffee. “

Dwyfor Meirionnydd MS, Mabon ap Gwynfor, has called on the Senedd to step in and safeguard Coed y Brenin whilst a business plan is created.

He said: “Wales has shown vision and leadership that has given rise to an industry that is now worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the British economy, namely downhill mountain biking.

“Because it can be said that this started at the magnificent Coed y Brenin centre, near Ganllwyd in Meirionnydd. “If you haven't been there then I would encourage you to visit the place. It is a wonderful place, and it has grown in status and has a reputation that is internationally renowned.

“According to the Scottish Government, downhill mountain biking contributes up to £150 million to the country's economy. No similar assessment has been made here in Wales yet, but we can be sure that this sector contributes tens of millions of pounds to our economy in Wales.'

“But the birthplace of this sector, the cradle of a sector, which continues to be a popular attraction, namely Coed y Brenin, is now under threat.

“When this report was written, there was uncertainty about the future of the visitor centres.

“Things have now changed, and the body, NRW, is looking to close the visitor centres at Coed y Brenin, Nant yr Arian and Ynyslas, to make savings of £1.2 million in this financial year.

“Although NRW is looking to close the visitor centres, the truth is that closing the visitor centres would have a detrimental impact on these places as visitor attractions and would affect the maintenance of the trails as well. Although we do not know what the financial value of downhill mountain biking is to the Welsh economy, an assessment has been made of the economic value of these centres to mid Wales, and they contribute up to £67 million to the region's economy.'

'I understand that NRW is under significant financial pressure, but there are local, experienced, and informed groups that are willing to collaborate with the body to take these assets forward.

“The trouble is that a very tight timetable has been imposed on NRW, and the staff at the visitor centres will be made unemployed by April.

“And once this happens, and the centres close, then it will be more difficult to reopen them, and so time is very short.'

“If we want to protect these pearls that attract so many people, and ensure that they continue to contribute tens of millions of pounds to the region's economy, then the Government must step in.

“The request that I have for the Cabinet Secretary, is for the Welsh Government to provide the necessary £1.2 million to NRW to maintain the centres for this year, and to give time for these companies to put together their business plans, and to be part of the tendering process, without the centres having to close.

“I am sure that you would agree that this would be a very small contribution to maintain such valuable attractions.”

The director of the Snowdonia Society has also raised concerns over the potential closure.

Rory Francis has written to Clare Pillman from NRW, stating that society has worked since 1967 to protect and enhance the special qualities of Eryri in the interest of all who live and work in or visit the National Park, and the closure of the visitor centre would be “a huge loss”.

The letter adds: “We are the only voluntary organisation existing solely to protect and enhance the beauty and special qualities of Eryri National Park.

“As such we are deeply concerned about the plans by NRW to shut down your visitor centre café in Coed y Brenin.

“People are willing stand up for and protect what they love and the Coed y Brenin Visitor Centre is a great community resource because it enables people experience and enjoy the wonderful Coed y Brenin within the Eryri National Park.

“Its closure would be a huge loss for both local people and visitors, in terms of employment as well as quality of life.

“The society does understand the huge budgetary challenge NRW is facing. We recognise that your funding was reduced by over a third between its creation in 2013 and 2020. It’s been falling year on year. We understand that in a situation like that, decisions have to be made about priorities.

“Nevertheless, the café at Coed y Brenin often seems to be full. If Natural Resources Wales cannot run it at a profit, we urge you come to an arrangement with some social enterprise or company which can use this wonderful building to provide the services that people need and enjoy.

“There are media reports that a local community group wants to run the mountain bike centre at Coed y Brenin. If NRW really needs to close its centre there, then we urge you to allow someone else to take it over, and on terms that make it possible a local company, business person or social enterprise to do this successfully.”

Cyclists, walkers and nature lovers gathered at Bwlch Nant yr Arian in August to make their feelings known.

The popular nature spot – famed for its red kites, walking trails and cycle routes, is in the top 10 per cent of places to visit in the world according to Tripadvisor.

Among the speakers, was a representative from the Cliff Railway in Aberystwyth, a charitable organisation, who have an interest in running Nant yr Arian.

Toby Bragg from Summit Cycles said he was worried that the centre closure would be the first step in a decline of the trails and maintenance of the site.

He said: “These centres (Coed y Brenin and Nant yr Arian) are of real value to people.

“We need to make sure that everyone is working to stop NRW from closing these centres, because if they close there’s a good chance it will be very difficult to reopen again.

“We really hope that community voices can come together and make enough noise that we can find a way to transition this model into the next stage and that Coed y Brenin, Nant yr Arian and Ynyslas can continue to prosper.”

Elin Jones, MS for Ceredigion, described Nant yr Arian as one of those rare precious commodities that is important for locals and visitors.

She added: “There is local interest in running this site.

“We need to garner our support for those people who want to run the site.

“It may not be NRW but it could be someone else and it could be better.

“But we need to make that happen quite quickly.

“The worst thing that could happen is that NRW mothball this site and these facilities.”

Prys Davies, Executive Director of Corporate Strategy and Development at NRW said in response: “There is no doubt that this is a significant and challenging time for us all at NRW. Public funding is exceptionally tight across the whole of the UK and we are having to look across all of our remit and critically review what we can and must continue to do, what we stop, and what we slow or do differently to fulfil our Corporate Plan ambitions. This is no different to any other public sector body at the moment.

“We fully understand the impact this is having on our colleagues, and appreciate all the time and effort they have invested in this process to date.

“They have continued to show the upmost professionalism and dedication to their roles during this challenging period, and we continue to provide support to those that have been directly or indirectly impacted.

“Throughout the process, we have made every effort to protect areas of work that have the most impact on nature, climate and pollution, as well as our statutory responsibilities.

“We are now reviewing the information received from Trade Unions following the consultation to fully understand the impacts of the decisions for our colleagues, our partners, stakeholders and our customers to determine if any changes are needed, whilst still meeting our cost savings target.

“Given the breadth of feedback, we have decided to take a bit of extra time to ensure we get it right and the NRW Board will make the decision later this Autumn.

“The outcome of the Case for Change will then be communicated to our colleagues, and we will share further information on any impact or changes to the services we deliver with our partners, stakeholders and our customers.”

The petitions calling on NRW to save the three centres will be put before all Senedd members at this Wednesday’s Plenary meeting in Cardiff Bay.