Over £250,000 in development grants have been awarded to the Talyllyn Railway in Tywyn and Brecon Cathedral by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The narrow gauge railway has been awarded £110,000 for its Talyllyn Railway: Preserving Out Past, Building Our Future project.

Meanwhile, the Brecon Cathedral has been awarded £158,297 for its People, Passion, Priory: Brecon Cathedral, The Heart and Soul of Community project.

These grants will allow both organisations to draw up plans about their projects and to apply for delivery funding.

The Talyllyn Railway: Preserving Our Past Building Our Future project aims to boost income and provide financial security by attracting more visitors.

As part of the plans, the main station building would be re-modelled and the shop and cafe improved.

A new engineering works would be built as well as a display about the history of railway engineering installed.

Stuart Williams, general manager of the Talyllyn Railway Company said: “The Talyllyn is proud to be the world’s first preserved railway, part of the slate heritage of northwest Wales.  We want more visitors, as well as the local community, to experience this unique line and understand its heritage.

“Through the project we will increase our interpretation and key facilities, as well as providing volunteering opportunities for a wider range of people with differing skills.

“The railway has grown significantly since it was preserved in 1951, and, thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we can approach our 75th anniversary confident that it can thrive, enhancing the economy locally and regionally.”

At the Brecon Cathedral, their project aims to attract more tourists with a new exhibition, a digital trail and a range of events and activities.

The Very Reverend Dr Paul Shackerley, Dean of Brecon, said: “Everyone at Brecon Cathedral is absolutely delighted that we’ve received this support thanks to National Lottery players. It will transform our cathedral and what we can offer to our local community and those who visit from far and wide.

“The support will enable us to establish a national training scheme in heritage skills, interpret our rich and living history for new generations, and provide equal access to our building for all.”

Andrew White, Wales Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “Heritage is for everyone and it can be anything from the past that you value and want to pass on to future generations and The National Lottery Heritage Fund is one of Wales’ main funders of heritage organisations and heritage projects.

“We are thrilled to award project development funding to both of these exciting projects. This will allow both organisations to develop their plans so that they can apply to us at a later date for further funding to deliver these projects.”