Optimism grows for Barry's future (From Barry And District News)

Optimism grows for Barry's future

BARRY'S £134m investment schemes have inspired confidence in the town and boosted optimism.

This was the vital message from Assembly Member Jane Hutt at a special event held at Barry College this week.

The health minister invited the town's key players to a Better Barry Breakfast on Monday to highlight the massive regeneration the area has undergone over the last nine years.

She told the packed hall: "The regeneration work in greater Barry over the last nine years has made a considerable difference to the way that people live and work, and to their environment.

"I look forward to this work continuing. I am glad that I am able to play my part in this process, and I want to thank you for all your hard work in helping make a better Barry."

The town has seen a massive transformation since 1995.

More than 40m of public sector money has been invested in the greater Barry area, the vast majority of which has come from the Welsh Development Agency.

In turn, this has generated £94m of private sector investment.

Much of the public sector money has been spent on land reclamation, roads and infrastructure.

But it is expected this will now generate much higher levels of private sector investment over the coming years.

The community involvement in the regeneration process has also been significant.

One important measure of this is the number of volunteers that have come forward as a result of regeneration work.

It is believed that the equivalent of £12.2m worth of working hours worked have been put in by volunteers over the last nine years, and that £1m of this has been the result of the steam railway alone.

These impressive achievements were acknowledged by special guest, Andrew Davies, the Welsh Assembly's economic and transport minister.

He highlighted the importance of Barry to the communities it serves and the opportunities for regeneration of Wales as a whole.