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Daniel Owen Square official opening

Published: 20/10/2015

The newly redeveloped Daniel Owen Square in Mold will be officially opened on Thursday 22 October as part of the annual Daniel Owen Festival celebrations. The event will feature an opening ceremony, along with music, dancing, readings and the burial of a time capsule, which has been made by apprentices at Airbus, using a titanium tube from the fuel system off an A380 aircraft. The initial concept to redevelop Daniel Owen Square followed public consultation by the Mold Town Partnership in 2009. At the time, the square was used by the market on a Wednesday and Saturday but for the rest of the week it was quiet. The space was considered to be tired and dated and its full potential hadn’t been realised. Through the formation of an action plan for the town, the project became one of the top priorities. Taking on board comments from the consultation the focus was to bring the space up-to-date and create a multi-use area, which could be used for events and various performances as well as continuing to be used for the successful market. In 2012 , the opportunity of funding became available and following much design work, planning and project management a new facility was developed for all to enjoy. The project has been part-funded by Flintshire County Council, the European Regional Development Fund and the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Councillor Derek Butler, Flintshire County Councils Cabinet Member for Economic Development said The redevelopment of Daniel Owen Square has been a fantastic opportunity to improve this area of the town centre. The availability of funding during such tough economic times has been widely appreciated. We have been able to create a new high-quality, multi-use space for all to enjoy, which will also help maintain the vitality and viability of the town. The people of Mold now have a town square that they can be proud of. I am delighted to see the end result.” Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans AM, said :“We are pleased to have supported an initiative such as this through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme, giving fantastic opportunities to develop the rural communities across Wales.” During this week there is a programme of literature, music, spoken word, live performances and arts taking place in the town and surrounding area as part of the Daniel Owen Festival, now in its sixth year. The Festival celebrates the life and work of the town’s most famous son, a Victorian novelist who rose from poverty to national popularity and fame in his own lifetime. The Festival programme runs all week up until Friday 23 October. To see the full programme visit www.danielowenfestival.com or follow twitter @DanielOwen1836. Tickets are available from Mold Library 01352 754791. Note to Editors You are invited to send a photographer to the official opening event which starts at 10.30am on Thursday 22 October. For more information about the Festival contact Kevin Matthias on 01352 754903 or Nia Jones on 01352 754791..