Over the years I have come to believe that the future for organisations like Menter Môn lies in finding the right balance between purpose and pragmatism. Community development has to be rooted in altruism, but it also has to recognise the realities of finance and investment. The real question is how growth can be achieved when those two worlds work together.
That conclusion has been shaped by Menter Môn’s own journey. When we began in 1995, our focus was wholly on making the most of European funding. The first Leader programme brought £1 million to Anglesey, supported by the local authority, and in those early years grants were the foundation of everything we did. They gave us the space to experiment and to invest in sectors that needed development, from food to tourism. But even then, it was clear that this kind of support could not last indefinitely.
In 1996, the decision to allow Menter Môn to become a limited company gave us independence and the ability to chart our own course. For the next decade and beyond, grants remained central to our work. Yet by 2012, it was obvious that this dependency would have to change. We knew that if Menter Môn was to survive and grow, we would need to adapt. That meant working more closely with the private sector, understanding how loans and equity could play their part, and applying those lessons to community-driven projects.
Morlais, our tidal stream energy project off the coast of Anglesey, has been central to this shift. The project has required us to step into the commercial world, to work with major partners, and to operate at a scale far beyond anything we attempted in our early years. Yet the principle has remained the same: this is about maximising the value of resources for the benefit of local communities. What has changed is the recognition that community ownership does not exclude commercial realities. In fact, the two can strengthen one another.
I often hear people asking whether Menter Môn can be replicated elsewhere. My view is that it cannot be copied directly, because success comes down to circumstances, place and people. Anglesey offered the right conditions, but it also relied on individuals willing to question old ways of thinking and to try new approaches. There is no single formula.
What others can take from our story, however, is the importance of combining altruism with commerciality. Organisations driven only by altruism risk fragility in the face of financial pressures. Those focused only on profit risk losing the trust and commitment of their communities. The strength lies in being able to operate in both spaces and to see how they can reinforce each other.
Continuity of leadership has been part of this. My successor as MD, Dafydd Gruffydd, has carried Menter Môn forward through challenging times, from the end of European funding to the Covid pandemic and beyond. But continuity has meant more than stability. It has meant being willing to adapt, to move with the times, and to understand that purpose and sustainability have to go hand in hand.
As we look beyond 30 years, I believe the lesson for organisations like ours is clear. Success does not come from clinging to the past, nor from chasing profit alone. It comes from recognising that community and commerce are not opposites but partners. Growth achieved from that partnership has the potential to endure.
Gerallt Llewellyn Jones talks about this and more in the Menter Mon: Unlocking Potential podcast. Listen here.
