Creative Lives Awards People's Vote

Dear All

We are extremely excited that Criccieth Town Council has been shortlisted for the Creative Lives awards.  Cricieth Creadigol is one of 34 groups that have reached the shortlist because of our creative activity. We are the only Town Council on the list - and also the only group based in North Wales.

A winner is chosen from England, Ireland / Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and each group is looking for the public to vote for them to win the People's Choice Award. Voting is now open and you can vote for us here until 29 July 2024.

Our list of projects includes our community gardening and decorative work for the 2023.

Cllr. Delyth Lloyd, Chair of Criccieth Town Council says: “Criccieth Town Council has built on its record of creative engagement and facilitated a number of imaginative community projects which have involved countless volunteers in their design and delivery. We are incredibly proud that our innovative projects were recognised with a Creative Lives Wales Award in 2021, and that this is the third consecutive year we’ve been shortlisted for an award. Our projects, many in partnership, have involved a large number of voluntary associations, local school Ysgol Treferthyr, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, individual artists and other creative talents. In addition to promoting creativity they have helped to combat loneliness and are really appreciated. The creative driving force has been community efforts, drawing on talents from across the generations, from Welsh and non-Welsh speakers alike and from all districts of the town and several miles around.  Our work has been continued and has been inspired by the concept of placemaking to strengthen the connection between people and the places they inhabit irrespective of which language they speak. We have been constantly reimagining and recreating. Thanks very much to everyone contributing and supporting us on our journey of community creativity. You can vote for us for a People’s Choice Award until 29th July 2024.”
 
Dr Catrin Jones, Town Council Clerk, says: “To honour our past and present, filmmakers, a lot of paint, arts and crafts, and gardening have been used to enhance the community's vibrancy while simultaneously improving the quality of life for both residents and visitors, as well as spreading messages of love, compassion and inclusion. This innovative drive has had a huge effect on everyone around the country. It has also made a splash on social media, in the media and on television. The Town Council was recognised by One Voice Wales, the Welsh representative body of Community and Town councils, in March this year for its partnership work with the community, including the Caerwyn Roberts Prize for the best local council service, the best tourism initiative, and the best environmental project. Among the many exciting projects we've completed in the last year are: creative works to ensure the area looked bright and welcoming for the National Eisteddfod festival in 2023, a mural, a book, and a film.”

After the Eisteddfod, work concentrated on seasonal post box toppers, colourful handmade Christmas trees for the Maes for Christmas 2023 and the creation of a panel that is part of an international project to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D Day Landings. The exhibition was unveiled in Carentan Church, Normandy on 28 May and Criccieth’s Gown of Poppies, made up of 5000 community poppies (one of our lockdown projects in 2020) was also on display in Carenta – the exhibition is attracting international attention. In September, the exhibition will tour various locations in the UK and the USA in 2025.

We also celebrate community gardening across the town. Criccieth in Bloom continues to beautify the town. They maintain flower beds and pots around the High Street, a garden at the railway station, which is an important entry point to the town, cleaning and maintaining the bricked Maes area adjacent to the High Street and creating an edible trail of planters located centrally.  Their edible eats trail has been extended due to financial support from the Town Council which has also enabled the design and planting of a community orchard of Welsh native fruit trees comprising damsons, apples, and pears on a historic piece of land donated to the community. The Town Council secured funding from Age Cymru Gwynedd a Môn to develop a Sensory Garden, accessible planting boxes and picnic tables in collaboration with Gwynedd Council and Criccieth in Bloom on the grounds of Criccieth Library.  A number of community support groups meet at the Library, including a Dementia Group.
 
Our Cae Crwn community allotments, Nature and Butterfly Garden have been recognised this year with a Community Management on Community Land (CLAS) 2024 award which is funded by the Welsh Government, and which recognises the community's effort in managing green spaces and what they have achieved so far.

You can read about our work and vote for Cricieth Creadigol-Creative Criccieth here

Thanks very much

Regards

Catrin