AN OLD railway shed has been brought back to life after a £1.2million revamp.
Y Shed - a converted railway building housing a café, heritage centre, retail displays as well as business units - is located on the Meliden to Dyserth walkway.
A soft opening was conducted earlier this year. The grade II building is now officially open to the public.
The cafe is run by sisters Jane Roberts and Rachel Roberts
It its heyday, Meliden's good shed was a key stopping place on the Dyserth to Prestatyn railway line serving both the mining and tourist trades. It closed in 1957 and reopened briefly over the years, notably as an undertaker and a taxi rank.
Y Shed is spearheaded by charitable housing association Grŵp Cynefin and Meliden Residents Action group.
The venue provides opportunities for up-and-coming businesses, artists and crafters.
Mair Edwards, Grŵp Cynefin’s community initiatives manager, said: “The response to Y Shed has been phenomenal. It is beyond anything we could have hoped for. The aim was always to find a way to ensure this old building worked for the community. Having stood empty for so long, transforming the goods shed in a way which brings it up-to-date but also acknowledges Meliden’s rich and varied history is a real achievement.
The business units
“The village action group had the vision to make this happen, and we are only too pleased to have been able to support them and turn dreams into reality.”
Inside the main building, themed to tie in with the landscape, is Caffi @ Y Shed, run by sisters Jane Roberts and Rachel Roberts.
There is an electronic mining game aimed at helping children understand what life was like in the lead mine days, and a meeting room.
Work from a wide range of artists are on display, including ceramists, jewellers, woodturners and card makers.
Exhibition spaces
Four converted shipping containers are also part of the building to help business start ups.
Denbighshire County Councillor Peter Evans, a member of the Meliden Residents’ Action Group, said: "For a village of Meliden’s size to have a venture like this - a vibrant, exciting, beautifully designed space - shows what is possible when people put their minds to it.
Caffi @ Y Shed
"This is the sort of place you’d usually find in a large town or city, not in a quiet corner of a Welsh village. Everyone who has been involved, whether in researching the history, raising funds, or championing the cause should be justifiably proud of what has been achieved.
"Getting Y Shed off the ground has been a team effort. This old building is no longer a historical footnote but heralds the start of a bright, new chapter for the economy and people of Meliden.”
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