A PROTEST will be held ay Ynyslas next month calling for the visitor centre to be saved.

Ynyslas visitor centre is one of three under threat of closure from Natural Resources Wales as it looks to plug a £13 million budget deficit.

NRW is looking to withdraw retail and catering from Ynyslas, Bwlch Nant yr Arian and Coed y Brenin near Dolgellau.

Supporters of the centre in Ynyslas, who have been fighting its closure for nearly a year, plan a rally on Saturday, 5 October from 2pm and are encouraging all beach users to come along and show support.

Organisers say: "Please keep your diaries free and start planning your placards.

"Let's show NRW what this place means to us as a community."

An internal consultation on the future of the three sites and the retail and catering staff has now concluded and the final proposals will be presented to the NRW board in October.

Natural Resources Wales said: "We will now review the information received during the consultation to determine if any changes are needed, whilst still meeting our cost savings target.

"The final proposals will be presented to the NRW Board for consideration and approval in mid-October.”

Petitions calling for the three centres to remain open were put before the Senedd petition committee last week.

More than 13,200 people have signed a petition against closing the centres which attract 750,000 visitors a year.

In his petition, Gareth Jones warned closure of the visitor centres would have a far-reaching negative impact on the economy and environment.

Now, with a final decision thought to be imminent, the petitions committee has penned a letter to Clare Pillman, NRW’s chief executive, as well as the Senedd’s climate committee.

Gareth Price, who is clerk of the petitions committee, said members will be seeking a debate in the Senedd chamber on the issue regardless of the outcome.

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.

A separate petition, submitted by Kim Williams and signed by nearly 2,500 people, focused on the plans to close the visitor centre at Ynyslas national nature reserve.

Tory MS Peter Fox shared petitioners’ concerns as he backed holding a Senedd debate and advocated writing to NRW as a matter of urgency.

Plaid Cymru’s Luke Fletcher said: “What a signal to send – Wales is closed ….”