TENBY2020 have finally succeeded in getting Objective 1 funds for the management and co-ordination of events and festivals in the Tenby area. A letter from the Welsh European Funding Office has told TENBY2020 that, provided they are willing to agree to a number of conditions, the scheme can be approved.
The scheme is for the employment of an events co-ordinator, an arts and community centre director for the De Valence, and an administrative assistant. These last two jobs will manage the De Valence for the newly-formed De Valence Trust. The grant is for just over £165,000 spread over three years, and the whole project will be managed by Tenby Events Management Ltd. - a company specially set up for this purpose by TENBY2020.
A meeting of the directors of Tenby Events Management Ltd. on Tuesday last agreed the grant conditions set out by the Welsh European Funding Office, and determined that the recruitment process should start as soon as practical.
Mike Thorne, secretary of TENBY2020, said: "This is brilliant news. We started to prepare this application towards the end of 2002, and it has been a hard slog to get the application into a form acceptable to the powers-that-be. Now these new jobs should make a significant difference to the way the De Valence is managed, and to the support and co-ordination of events generally. That in turn should make the town more attractive to our visitors and better for our residents."