Welsh heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones has announced that museums, libraries and archives across Wales are to share an £860,000 funding package in a bid to promote the country's cultural identity.

A total of £460,000 will go towards a range of projects, including the creation of an oral history record about Laura Ashley at Powysland Museum, Welshpool; improving facilities at museums in Wrexham, North Wales, and Narberth, Pembrokeshire; and new learning programmes at Cyfarthfa Castle, near Merthyr Tydfil, and Conwy, North Wales. Funding will also go towards encouraging community interaction at Pontypool and Narberth museums, while £200,000 has been set aside to help increase access to historical material currently stored in local archive services.

A further £200,000 will fund a scheme to inspire learning through Welsh museums, libraries and archives, including the development of basic skills learning at Bridgend Library and Information Service and the provision of online resources for the Ayo Gorkahil exhibition at Brecknock Museum, Brecon. Jones said: "Our nation has a wealth of unique material collected and cared for by Welsh museums, archives and libraries. This funding will enable access to a wide range of historical material and increase the opportunity to engaged with our national collections."

The funding will be made available through CyMAL: Museums, Archives and Libraries Wales, which is a division of the Welsh Assembly Government.