The Welsh centre of excellence for sailing proves once again that construction is the great enabler for all elements of our society – sporting, economic, environmental and the local communities.

The best construction projects are those that add something to the community and that enable people of all ages to discover a new pastime and to boost the local economy.

The development of the Welsh National Sailing Academy & Events Centre at Pwllheli over the past few years is just one such example and the CEW North Wales Best Practice Club showcased the story behind the scheme this week.

Pwllheli has evolved into one of the finest sailing venues in western Britain. Pwllheli, positioned on the south side of the Llyn Peninsula, is one of the best locations for Olympic class dinghy sailing in Britain and is one of the UK’s centre of excellence. Its site provides a gateway to the sailing waters which include Cardigan Bay, Anglesey and the East Irish Coast. It is regarded as being world class and has hosted a significant number of successful national and international sailing competitions, raising the area’s profile as a sporting and tourist destination and providing business and employment opportunities to the area. As a centre of excellence for sail training it required state of the art facilities for sailors of all abilities – but what was built also had to create economic opportunities for the town and the surrounding region.

The Welsh National Sailing Academy & Events Centre was funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) with match funding from Welsh Government and Gwynedd Council. Key criteria were that the Academy Building was iconic and achieve the BREEAM Excellent standard: it has achieved all of this and more.

Call the CEW team to access the background story of the Welsh National Sailing Academy & Events Centre.