This project has been funded through the Gwynedd Piloting Fund, a Fund which has been targeted at community groups in Gwynedd to enable them to trial new activities in their communities.

Siop Griffiths Cyf was established to purchase and maintain an old building in Penygroes, to offer training and employment opportunities in the tourism and hospitality fields, and to offer new activities to the community, especially young people in the digital field.

The group has been developing a social enterprise in Penygroes over the last two years, to develop community businesses and facilities, and to offer new activities. The project is in 3 parts:

1. i) Open a cafe and create 3 jobs
2. ii) Opening of accommodation, and creating 3 jobs and a training program

iii) Opening a Digital Creation Center for the community and young people

The group was successful in their bid to the Piloting Fund for financial assistance to purchase technological equipment to run sessions in the Digital Centre. In these sessions, the group had tutors from Bangor University to come in to offer video-making sessions, podcasts, blogging and vlogging, and coding lessons to the young people. The emphasis of these sessions was on building on the skills that the young people have already learned and creating a product that reflects the area and culture.

One of the films that the young people created, “Dial”, won Best Film in their category at the PICS Film Festival and was also nominated for an award in the Into Film Awards Ceremony in London.

Here is a link to the film: https://www.intofilm.org/news-and-views/articles/into-film-awards-2019-nominees#block-dial-revenge