A new heritage tourism initiative designed to explore the story of the Princes of Gwynedd at sites across North Wales has secured funding from the Welsh Assembly Government.

The £450,000 project is led by a consortium featuring Conwy County Borough Council and Gwynedd Council; as well as Snowdonia National Park Authority and the National Trust. Princes of Gwynedd will highlight clusters of sites in localised areas that will be linked to a series of strategic hubs in Conwy, Caernarfon and Betws Y Coed.

Each of the hubs will develop 'storylines' that will explore the story of the region's princes and build connections between sites, places and communities. It is hoped the scheme will deliver an additional 6,000 visitors to North Wales each year and will also include community initiatives within the Conwy Valley.

The funding has been made available through the Welsh Assembly Government's £19.5m Heritage Tourism Project, supported by £8.5m of European Union investment. Welsh heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones said: "This is an important and unique project to reveal and enhance the story of the Princes of Gwynedd and encourage greater exploration of this unique and fascinating cultural landscape."