One of North Wales' best-known outdoor education centres is set to benefit from a major Welsh Government investment aimed at strengthening Welsh-speaking communities across the country.

Urdd Glan-llyn, on the shores of Llyn Tegid near Bala, will receive funding as part of a £3.1 million package announced by the Welsh Government to improve community facilities, create opportunities to use Welsh socially and support local economies.

The investment includes £2.7 million to upgrade the Urdd's residential centres at Glan-llyn, Pentre Ifan and Llangrannog, alongside a further £400,000 through the Perthyn grant scheme to help communities establish social enterprises and community-led housing projects.

At Glan-llyn, the funding will be used to build a modern indoor ten-pin bowling centre, providing an additional year-round activity for residential visitors, schools, community groups and day visitors. The investment is designed to enhance the experience of the thousands of children and young people who visit the centre every year while helping secure its future as one of Wales' leading residential education and activity centres.

Elsewhere, Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire will benefit from new accommodation and an extended kitchen, increasing capacity and creating five new jobs, while accommodation at Llangrannog in Ceredigion will be refurbished to improve accessibility and visitor facilities.

The Welsh Government said the overall investment is intended to strengthen community facilities, support local economies and create more opportunities for people to use Welsh in everyday life.

Urdd Chief Executive Siân Lewis welcomed the announcement, saying the organisation's residential centres have, for decades, helped children and young people build confidence, make lifelong friendships and experience Welsh as a living language beyond the classroom.

She said the funding would help secure the future of the centres as "inclusive, safe and progressive spaces for generations to come", while also supporting employment and economic activity within local communities.

Alongside the investment in Urdd facilities, the Welsh Government has announced £400,000 through the Perthyn grant scheme to support community groups looking to establish social enterprises and community-led housing projects with the Welsh language at their heart.

A new element of this year's funding includes £100,000 specifically to help groups carry out building repairs and improvements to protect valued community assets.

Applications for the latest round of Perthyn funding will open on 17 August, with community organisations across Wales, including North Wales, able to apply for support.

One project already benefiting from Perthyn funding is Canolfan Bethlehem in Newport, Pembrokeshire, where grant funding helped transform a former chapel into a community heritage, arts and cultural centre.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and the Welsh Language, Anna Brychan, said the investment was about creating more opportunities to use Welsh in everyday life while helping communities flourish.

She said the funding would create jobs, support young people to use Welsh and help communities develop facilities that strengthen local life and support the future of the language.

Urdd Glan-llyn has long been regarded as one of the organisation's flagship residential centres, welcoming thousands of children, young people and community groups each year for outdoor activities, residential stays and Welsh-language experiences. The latest investment is expected to further strengthen its role as a key educational and community resource in North Wales while helping ensure it continues to serve future generations.