The Foundation for Jewish Heritage is to receive more than £500,000 in grants towards its project to develop a Welsh Jewish Heritage Centre at the former Merthyr Tydfil synagogue.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s award of just under £400,000 will cover development phase funding. The Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme is providing just under £108,000 and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, a leading adviser to the project, is contributing £25,000.

The foundation purchased the Grade II-listed building in 2019 and carried out urgent repairs the following year.

The idea is for the heritage centre to showcase the 250-plus years of Welsh Jewish history while addressing contemporary issues around religious and ethnic diversity.

BBC news presenter Huw Edwards recently became a patron of the project, joining David Baddiel and Sir Michael Moritz.

Foundation chair Dame Helen Hyde said: “We are deeply grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Welsh Government and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council for recognising the value and significance of this special project.”

Chief executive Michael Mail added that the synagogue represented “shared heritage – it is a special Jewish story and a special Welsh story.

“Through this crucial financial support, we hope to save a listed building at risk - the most important Jewish heritage site in Wales - and make an important contribution to Merthyr and Wales as a whole.”

If the development stage goes to plan, the foundation will make a second round submission to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for delivery phase funding.