This Autumn, Pembrokeshire County Council and the Tywi Centre are delivering a series of free training opportunities in and around Haverfordwest for people to learn about heritage building skills.

The series of workshops has been funded by UK Government as part of a focus by the Council on the regeneration of the County Town.

This is a unique initiative aimed at equipping Pembrokeshire residents with the skills needed to preserve and celebrate the region’s rich cultural and historical heritage and will run from October to December 2024.

For homeowners, the ‘Repair, Maintenance, and Energy Efficiency in older buildings’ is an excellent starting point for anyone looking to maximise the potential of their historic property by learning how to care for it properly.

If your building is listed, there is a course to guide you through the process of applying for Listed Building Consent.

For people wanting to learn more practical skills, there’s an opportunity to dive deep into the art of ‘Working with Lime in Buildings,’ using a traditional Pembrokeshire cottage or ‘Ty un nos’, as a case study to explore common building defects and their solutions. Central to this course is understanding the various types of lime, along with their preparation, application, and aftercare.

The sessions are being run by a talented team of heritage building experts from the Tywi Centre on behalf of Pembrokeshire County Council's Heart of Pembrokeshire Project and supported by UK Government funding.

The first session is October 16 and courses can be booked independently online via https://www.eventbrite.com/o/heart-of-pembrokeshire-90032525753.

The Tywi Centre has been delivering heritage construction training throughout Wales since 2009. Over the last decade the Tywi Centre has built a reputation for delivering high quality, engaging training by experts with extensive knowledge in their field of heritage construction.

Rowan Matthiessen, Client project manager for the Heart of Pembrokeshire project said: “We are thrilled to be offering this initiative which is a unique opportunity for people to learn and refine heritage skills, ensuring that Pembrokeshire’s history and culture are preserved for generations to come. We invite everyone to get involved in this transformative project.”

The Heart of Pembrokeshire project is redeveloping Haverfordwest Castle to become a bustling heritage-based discovery centre attracting a footfall of 40,000 annual visitors.

As part of the project, the team are engaging with local residents and organisations to help develop the vision, direction and content of the attraction.

A series of pilot workshops and volunteering opportunities will be held throughout 2025 and beyond, so if you are interested in finding out more get in touch with [email protected] or book online via https://www.eventbrite.com/o/heart-of-pembrokeshire-90032525753