Pontypool Community Taskforce has set its sights on bringing Xanadoo, one of the most ambitious visitor destination concepts envisioned for Wales, to Torfaen. The Taskforce wants Gaynor Coley and her team to know that the community would welcome the project and is ready to get behind it.
Xanadoo is the vision of Gaynor Coley, originally from Cwmbran and one of the founding team behind Cornwall's Eden Project.
Having seen the proposals and heard about some of the challenges involved in taking a project of this size forward, Pontypool Community Taskforce believes Torfaen should get behind it.
The Taskforce is bringing together people from government, business, education and the community to hear directly from Gaynor and to look at how they might be able to help.
It also wants to introduce the Xanadoo team to people who could make a difference, whether through funding, investment, knowledge, influence, practical help or simply making the right introduction.
Most importantly, the Taskforce wants Gaynor and her team to know that they would be welcome in Pontypool and that there are people here who are prepared to work with them.
Xanadoo brings together art, crafts, science and technology with the aim of reconnecting people with their creativity. It is intended to give people of all ages the chance to imagine, make, experiment and explore new ideas.
The concept has four main elements.
- The Gallery of Marvellous Solutions would use remarkable objects and ideas to encourage curiosity and creative thinking.
- The Trading Place would bring together food, locally produced goods, workshops and opportunities to make and learn.
- The Playground would offer large-scale play and experiences based around participation and creative problem solving.
- Tomorrow's World would bring universities, businesses and innovators together to demonstrate new ideas and emerging technologies.
The scale of Xanadoo is significant.
Figures from the project's feasibility and prospectus work have previously estimated around 600,000 visitors a year, approximately £15 million in annual revenue and around 250 full-time jobs.
More than 1,000 jobs could be supported through the wider economic impact of the project, which has been estimated at around £840 million over 30 years.
The ambition is to create a destination capable of having the kind of effect on the local economy that the Eden Project had on Cornwall.
There is also a strong local connection. Gaynor is originally from Cwmbran and was part of the founding team behind the Eden Project. Xanadoo gives her the opportunity to bring that experience back to Wales.
Torfaen County Borough Council and the UK Government are among the organisations reported as having contributed to feasibility work for Xanadoo. Potential locations within Torfaen have also previously been explored.
Pontypool Community Taskforce believes Xanadoo could create opportunities for economic growth, education, tourism, investment, regeneration, innovation, skills and sustainability in Torfaen, with benefits that could reach much further across Wales.
The Taskforce cannot decide where Xanadoo will eventually be built, but it can make the case for Torfaen and help Gaynor and her team make the connections they need.
Dyl Delaney, Chair of Pontypool Community Taskforce, said:
“The Taskforce has only been going for just over a year and we've already achieved a fantastic outcome with our first project. That wouldn't have been possible without the new way of working we've experienced with Torfaen CBC through the Torfaen Deal. It has shown us what can be achieved when the council and community work together with a shared determination to make things happen.
“The Taskforce is made up entirely of volunteers from the local community who give their time because they want a better future for Pontypool and Torfaen. We want to raise the bar for our communities and be much more ambitious about what this area can achieve.
“Xanadoo is an opportunity to put that ambition into practice. We've seen the vision and understand some of the challenges involved. We want Gaynor and her team to know that they would be genuinely welcomed here and that there is a community in Torfaen that wants to get behind the project.
“We will use the influence and connections available to us to help. We can bring people together and connect Gaynor and her team with those in government, business and education who may be able to support the project. We also want to help them reach the funders and investors who could make a real difference.
“Our ambition is clear. We want to help bring Xanadoo to Torfaen. If we can open a door or make the right introduction, we will. If there is something within our power that can help make this possible, we will do it.
“There will also be people outside the Taskforce who can help. If you represent an organisation that could support the project, or you have relevant knowledge or connections that could make a difference, we would like to hear from you.
“Most of all, we want Gaynor and her team to leave Pontypool knowing that they are welcome, that we believe in what they are trying to achieve and that this community is prepared to get behind them.”
Anyone who believes they could help bring Xanadoo to Torfaen can contact Pontypool Community Taskforce at pontypooltaskforce@gmail.com.
Further information about Xanadoo, including a short film about the concept, can be found at xanadoo.co.uk.
