4. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on Welsh Government support for the hosting of major events in north Wales? OAQ(5)0195(EI)

Yes. This year we are supporting a range of sporting and cultural events in north Wales, including FOCUS Wales, Hijinx Unity Festival, RawFfest, the Good Life Experience, and Wales Rally GB. We wish to attract more major international events to Wales and are in ongoing discussions with partners in north Wales to identify new opportunities.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I’m pleased to hear of the ongoing discussions to identify opportunities. You’ll be aware that, in the past few months alone, north Wales has successfully hosted a number of high-profile stadium concerts, from Olly Murs at the Racecourse, to the now annual epic Access All Eirias at Eirias Park, and Llanfest in your own constituency, which had the Manic Street Preachers there this year.

Flintshire is also home to the national Wales rugby league team, the only national team to actually be based in north Wales, and who later this year will compete in the Rugby League World Cup in Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, supported by a lot of local organisations and businesses in my constituency, including being suited and booted by Vaughan Davies of Mold.

I’m sure the Cabinet Secretary and other colleagues will join me in wishing the Wales rugby union—rugby league team, sorry, every success in the Rugby League World Cup, but I’m also aware from constituents and others that there’s growing public support for us to be able to host major events and teams in north Wales, along with the investment in infrastructure that is needed to expand our offer.

So, can I urge a further commitment from the Welsh Government to further invest in our area, to show we have the greater capacity to host events, whether that be in iconic and historic locations like Flint Castle, existing stadiums, or perhaps one day looking at a future stadium or a location in the Flintshire area of north-east Wales?

Yes, very much so. I’m looking forward to being at Flint castle this very Friday, where we’ll reveal a world-class arts installation design, which I’m sure will capture the imagination not just of people in Flint but the people of north Wales and beyond. I’d also like to extend my best wishes to the Welsh team as they go out to the Rugby League World Cup. I’m sure that they will perform magnificently and do us proud and I wish them all the best.

Officials recently engaged with 30 events organisers in north Wales to scope out further opportunities. We currently spend around about £1.7 million in supporting major events in north Wales, but we want to build on the reputation that north Wales now has globally as one of the best destinations to visit for a holiday and for outdoor adventure. So, our investment must continue in those innovative products such as Surf Snowdonia, as well as the innovative major events, which can attract new and existing visitors alike.

The Member may also be aware that a sports facilities study has been commissioned. Work is under way to assess what facilities are needed for future major events to be hosted in Wales. That study will look at all parts of Wales and will assess existing infrastructure as well as the demands for new sports stadia. The Member may also be interested to know that I did recently meet with the Welsh Curling Association to discuss the building of a bespoke facility in the adjoining constituency of Alyn and Deeside.

On 9 July, I had the pleasure, with many others, of watching Bryan Adams at Eirias Park in Colwyn Bay who was, of course, preceded the night before by Little Mix, and I’m looking forward, as you may be, on 4 to 6 August, to one of the highlights of my year, which is the Mold Blues and Soul festival—absolutely wonderful: great music, great local ale, great food, and, hopefully, fantastic weather, fingers crossed. Recognising that research and practice show that major popular music events are a fantastic way of stimulating the visitor economy in north Wales, what role is or could the Welsh Government play in helping to promote that within the wider regional offer?

Can I thank Mark Isherwood for his question? I’m looking forward to joining him at Mold Blues and Soul Festival in August. Perhaps we could share a pint at the Alehouse or the Glasfryn afterwards. I’m sure it will be a magnificent event. Mold has carved out an enviable reputation in the region for hosting cultural food and drink and sporting events, and I’m sure that the Blues and Soul Festival will prove hugely successful. We fund, through the tourism product innovation fund, a number of regional and local events and activities that are designed to align with the thematic years, and in north Wales this year there have been a number of events that we’ve funded to capitalise on the Year of Legends, most notably in Conwy, where an incredible festival recently took place based on what was called ‘the tournament’ and included jousting. We work with local communities, with tourism providers, and with events organisers through Visit Wales to promote all activities that are taking place, but particularly with those that are aligned with the thematic years. We noticed that, in rallying the entire sector together by using the thematic years, we’ve been able to gain added value in terms of our offer, and that’s what’s lead to a significant increase in the marketing spend that’s been generated as a consequence of the thematic years, up by around about 18 per cent, we believe, just last year.

One of the centres trying to establish itself as a venue for events with some of the major bands is the Racecourse. I have regularly raised the need to invest in the Racecourse with you, because it needs to be—and it should be—an important centre for entertainment, but also an international standard sport stadium. We constantly hear this Government making very proactive statements about conference centres and so on. When will we see the Government being as proactive in ensuring investment in the Racecourse?

Can I thank Llyr for his question? I know he shares a very keen interest in this subject with my colleague Lesley Griffiths, and with the local Member of Parliament, Ian Lucas. I’m sure all of you would like to see, as I would, the Racecourse receive investment to become a more active and vibrant hub within the Wrexham community, but, indeed, in the wider region. My officials, I’m pleased to say, recently met with Wrexham football trust. They discussed the vision for the stadium, but of key significance will be the role that the local authority plays in devising a masterplan for the town to ensure that any future investment in the stadium is aligned with other facilities and other services that are being developed in Wrexham, but, to my mind, there is no doubt that the Racecourse deserves to have investment to make sure that it can go on being the oldest international stadium in Britain, in Europe, and possibly the world. To do that, it will need further investment, and the further investment will only come as a consequence of a sound business case and a very clear vision, and that’s exactly what, through my officials, we are now trying to draw together.