Snowdonia National Park Authority press release

In a series of meetings leading up to a major conference in November, local residents and businesses will be able to voice their opinions and share their ideas on matters relating to managing Wales’ most iconic mountain, Snowdon.

As the number of visitors to the area drop during the coming months, work on protecting Snowdon will increase. Between now and Christmas, there will be an opportunity for all those with an interest in Snowdon to express their views and share their ideas on matters as wide ranging as conservation, farming access and the countryside code, visitor facilities and local economic prosperity.

Helen Pye, the National Park Authority’s North Snowdonia’s Senior Warden explains further,

“Snowdon is a mountain which has a special place in all of our hearts and over the past year by talking to people, it has been clear to me that this is truly a mountain like no other. People genuinely care for and have strong and passionate views about how we should be managing it. To me this is fantastic – yes it will be challenging to balance everyone’s views on how and what should be done – but I’m confident that by working together we can balance the demands of recreation, farming and conservation, whilst protecting and improving the mountain for the next generation.

Early this year, the Authority brought together all the organisations and businesses that play a part in managing the mountain to form the Snowdon Partnership. Members of the Partnership include representatives from Snowdonia National Park Authority, The National Trust, Snowdonia Society, Gwynedd and Conwy Councils, Snowdon Mountain Railway, Natural Resources Wales, the Northern Local Access Forum and Snowdonia Active as well as farming unions and local mountain rescue teams. These are all organisations that on a day to day basis are actively involved in some way in the management of the mountain, be it footpath repairs and maintenance, volunteer work, promoting tourism, sheep and cattle farming, conservation work or rescues.  The purpose of the Partnership is to not only to ensure that we have a co-ordinated approach to managing the mountain, but that we also, through widespread consultation, will have everybody’s agreement in how it is managed.”

For the initial consultation a number of drop-in sessions have been arranged to gather people’s views:

• Monday, 5 October, 2 – 7pm, Hebog TIC, Beddgelert
• Monday, 12 October, 2-7 pm, Snowdonia Parc, Waunfawr
• Wednesday 14 October, 2 to 7, Electric Mountain, Llanberis.

Then, on the evening of 9th of November at the Royal Victoria Hotel, Llanberis a conference will be held to discuss and evaluate the comments and suggestions given at the drop-in sessions, together with having further discussions on the best way to manage the mountain in future.

For more details, visit our website, www.snowdonpartnership.co.uk  or contact: Helen Pye, 07766 255505 / 01766 772232 or Helen.Pye@eryri-npa.gov.uk.