The National Slate Museum in Llanberis has secured £12 million of National Lottery fundng for redevelopment.

Museum Wales says the heritage grant will protect the future of the Grade I listed site for generations to come.

Work at the museum, which is due to reopen in 2026 after two years, will include a new learning centre, play area, shop and café, along with improved accessibility and new exhbitions.

Jane Richardson, chief executive of Museum Wales, said: "We are truly thrilled to have been awarded this significant grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund which means we can progress the redevelopment plans with certainty."

"This is a key milestone in the Llanberis redevelopment project and is exciting news for us, for the wider community, and for everyone in Wales."

"Thanks to National Lottery players, we can now conserve the history of the National Slate Museum for future generations and move towards a more sustainable future for the Museum which will be more inclusive, more accessible, and which will inspire growth and learning."

"This will mean even more people can access and enjoy the global success story of North Wales slate."

The slate museum was first opened to the public in 1972, three years after the closure of the former Dinorwig slate quarry.

Museum Wales says the redevelopment work will retain the "essence of the industrial workshops" which sit at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site, while sharing the story of how slate from North West Wales was used to "roof the world".

Dedicated exhibition spaces will allow more items from the national slate collection to be shared - with the local community being invited to help shape both the story of slate and the visitor experience.

The Lottery funding will also allow the site to continue to develop as a living museum, offering training and opportunities from people from all backgrounds to learn eabout and develop traditional heritage skills.

Lord Dafydd Wigley, chair of the Wales Slate Partnership, said: "As the main hub of the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site, the National Slate Museum has a vital role to play in sharing this important heritage with the public - from local communities to the wider world."

"This significant investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will help to develop this site as a gateway to our history and culture that will engage and inspire generations today and in the future."

Cllr R. Medwyn Hughes, cabinet member for the economy and community at Cyngor Gwynedd, added: "I am delighted to see a sum of this scale being awarded to this heritage location that is so important to Gwynedd, Wales and the world."

"It recognises the important and rich history that this area has had in roofing the world and will create a deserving resource and boost to the local area."