 The park beat 700 other projects to win |
The Millennium Coastal Park in Carmarthenshire has scooped the top prize in the National Lottery's Helping Hand Awards Amazing Space category. At a ceremony held at London's Tate Modern on Saturday night, its diverse environment along a 10-mile coastline was commended.
Seven years ago it was one of the most polluted areas in the UK. It now it attracts 500,000 visitors a year.
The park beat 700 other projects to win.
The park began as an attempt to regenerate a section of coastline and 2,000 acres of contaminated and neglected industrial wasteland and coastal plain.
The land had become almost derelict during 200 years of coal and steel production and was cut off from community use.
It stretches from Pembrey Country Park in the west to the National Wetlands Centre of Wales at Penclacwydd in the east.
The coastal park was voted for by the public as part of the National Lottery's 10th birthday celebrations,
One of the largest environmental enhancement projects in the UK, the park opened to the public in June 2002.
Open to all visitors at no charge, the project received �13.75m National Lottery funding through the Millennium Commission in 1995.
About 75,000 people live in the immediate vicinity of the park, which comes under the responsibility of Carmarthenshire County Council.
Natural focal point
Council leader Meryl Gravell said: "We are absolutely thrilled that the park has won this prestigious award.
"We would like to thank everyone who voted to make this happen and the local media for their support in promoting our campaign.
"The park is a wonderful facility for both residents and visitors and winning this national award will give it the recognition it deserves.
"This Lottery project has had a huge impact on people's lives, and given local communities and the county a sense of pride and ownership, and offered the area a bright future."
The park includes a �2m visitor centre which has attracted both European and Welsh Assembly regeneration funding.
The centre should open by the end of this year, when it will become the natural focal point for park visitors and for further development.
It also has a centre that youth groups can use as a base for their activities, wildlife and history trails.
A National Lottery spokesperson said last month: "The National Lottery Helping Hand Awards aim to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the 175,000 good cause projects across the UK which have received Lottery funding over the last 10 years."
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