Benefits

If the vision is to bear fruit, the University will be required to establish a strategic partnership with several partners in Ceredigion and beyond. The partnership with the County Council will be key and the proposal will need to align closely with its strategic priorities for the next decade and beyond. Similarly, the Centre will need the fullest support of the Growing Mid Wales Partnership, ensuring that its aims and objectives meet some of the priorities of the whole region. By establishing these partnerships and through strategic collaboration between them, Tir Glas could be a significant development for both the University and the town of Lampeter over the next ten years.

The types of benefits that might be expected from realising the vision are noted below:

1. offer a long-term solution to the economic development of Lampeter and the surrounding area;
2. create around 75 new quality jobs in different places in Lampeter town;
3. have a positive impact on employment elsewhere in the town;
4. raise the profile of Lampeter as a regional food centre;
5. educate all of the county’s children about the area’s natural resources and the importance of protecting them for future generations;
6. establish a new food system for Ceredigion where local farms and businesses would benefit;
7. raise people’s awareness of the impacts of climate change and the way they can be responded to by adopting alternative ways of living and working;
8. attract more visitors to the town thus boosting the local economy;
9. support local businesses involved in the food and hospitality industries;
10. strengthen the relationship between the town and the University;
11. establish a working relationship between the University and Food Centre Wales in Horeb;
12. offer a range of specific educational qualifications in Ceredigion for the first time ensuring relevant progressing routes from further education to higher education;
13. provide local education and training for those wishing to remain in Ceredigion;
14. establish relevant networks where businesses will be able to support each other;
15. establish a clear focus for the future marketing and promotion of Lampeter town and the vicinity;
16. promote new micro-businesses within the food industry;
17. secure further investment in the Lampeter Food Festival;
18. secure alternative funding and support for community events from Aldi;
19. stimulate further economic activity in and around the town relating to the food and hospitality industry;
20. attract national attention to Lampeter together with external funding for other food industry related projects within a rural context;
21. stimulate other developments in the town that could have a focus on sport, health, wellbeing and fitness.