Aberystwyth University approves fund towards reopening Pantycelyn by September 2019.
After two and a half years of fighting to ensure Pantycelyn reopens as a Welsh-medium halls of residence, the campaign has reached its most important milestone so far. At last, the University has given money to the regeneration project to ensure Pantycelyn will reopen by September 2019. The University has finally committed to reopen Pantycelyn, whilst also noting that Pantycelyn will be one of their main projects.
Since the building closed in 2015, the aim of our campaign was to try and ensure the historic Pantycelyn hall reopens by 2019. Even though our accommodation has had to move to Penbryn in the meantime, the spirit of Pantycelyn has still been in the minds of our members. UMCA is delighted with the University's commitment, not only to Pantycelyn as building, but also to the Welsh society and its wishes here in Aberystwyth. All the Union's current and past members who have campaigned for Pantycelyn have waited a long time for this news. Without a doubt, the campaign has been a strong one since the first threat.
We, as a Union, would like to extend our thanks to the Vice Chancellor, Elizabeth Treasure, for all her hard work as we continued with the campaign. The University's decision to invest money in Pantycelyn's future shows they have a positive attitude towards Aberystwyth University's Welsh-speaking students and their values. We would also like to thank the chair of the Pantycelyn Project Board, Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, for her genuine support to UMCA throughout the uncertain period we have faced. This would not have been possible without all the hard work of two former UMCA presidents, Hanna Merrigan and Rhun Dafydd. Thank you both for continuing the campaign and keeping the spirit of the Pantycelyn society alive.
UMCA looks forward to seeing the University's next steps in ensuring Pantycelyn is reopened by September 2019. We as a Union are ready to support the University in undertaking the hard work now of starting to attract new students back to Pantycelyn in 2019.