English: And I'd like to start by perhaps giving a few good examples of where this approach has been successful and then briefly explain how Welsh Government is currently working with partners at a strategic level to address some of these shared concerns. So, there are, for example, conversion schemes that respond to the social value of religious buildings, with new uses that deliver community benefit. And Welsh Government has invested heavily in some of these, including the library in Hanbury chapel in Bargoed. The Transforming Towns programme supports projects that develop underused or empty properties, including several former places of worship. And I particularly commend the commitment of Circus Eruption, a youth charity, which has taken on the former St Luke's church in Cwmbwrla in Swansea. They work mostly with young people, including refugees, asylum seekers, young carers and the disabled, and they want this historic building to be a place for everyone. As a charity with no previous experience of heritage, they also want to inspire other charities to see that heritage buildings create opportunity. The Faith in Affordable Housing programme of Housing Justice Cymru is working in partnership with a number of Welsh housing associations to release surplus land or buildings for affordable housing. The organisation is currently working with the Architectural Heritage Fund on a pilot project focused on the conversion of historic redundant chapels. Places of worship are also being encouraged to investigate ways in which they can open their doors for community use, alongside their original purpose. An important exemplar, which I'm sure Mike Hedges is aware of, is the Morriston Tabernacle, where ancillary spaces will be adapted for community use, leaving the glorious chapel interior intact and in use. Now, while opening the doors to meet local community needs is important, it won't necessarily provide sufficient income to help keep the roof on. However, places of worship can reach out to a much wider community to help sustain those buildings. For instance, there's a growing interest in faith tourism, and we're beginning to see some imaginative new ideas to realise its potential, including bookable experiences and themed trails promoted by Visit Wales and the National Churches Trust. In exceptional cases, redundant religious buildings may be maintained largely unaltered by trusts specifically set up for that purpose. And there are two trusts that operate nationally in Wales. There is Friends of Friendless Churches, which rescues and repairs redundant Church in Wales churches and keeps their doors open, and it currently has some 28 churches, mostly in rural areas. Then there's Addoldai Cymru, which was established to care for a small number of the best nonconformist chapels across Wales, and it currently looks after 10 chapels. Both organisations receive annual grant support from Welsh Government to continue their work. So, adaptation for new uses that respond to the full significance of religious buildings, the introduction of additional uses that help to sustain a building, reaching out to a variety of new communities and new interests or vesting in trust are just some of the ways in which our religious buildings may be given a future. But all of them depend on people - to care for the buildings, to open the doors, to welcome visitors, to deliver a community service. They show the overarching importance of sparking new connections between buildings and their communities, recognising that these buildings belong to us all. So, I'm encouraged that there is much already going on to try to tackle this issue, and I would like this activity to be more widely shared and celebrated. Now, Members may be aware that, in 2015, the Welsh Government, through Cadw, published a strategic action plan for places of worship in Wales. The focus of the plan was on people and communities using, enjoying and looking after historic places of worship, and foremost of its actions was setting up a places of worship forum to share information and best practice and review ongoing needs. The forum attracted representation from across the sector and for several years used its meetings as an opportunity to learn from a range of projects across Wales. These physical meetings were, of course, halted by the pandemic, but the forum took the opportunity to reflect on its direction and is now in the process of establishing itself on a new footing. Supported by a grant from Welsh Government, again through Cadw, the National Churches Trust is organising a series of forum events to undertake a formal review of its work and of the strategic plan. And in addition, they are using online webinar meetings to reach their grass roots. Three such meetings have already been held, bringing together speakers to offer professional advice, with passionate voices from communities across Wales talking about their own experiences. The two most recent events focused on community engagement and fundraising. Later this month, the next event will consider the environment and responses to climate change. But I am very taken with Mike Hedges's suggestion that we could explore the possibility of such an empty church building, or chapel building, being used as a national museum for religion. I think that this is something that this forum could look at as an opportunity to see what possibilities might open up for some of these empty buildings. Now, I'm under no illusion about the scale of the challenge. But when I survey the initiatives that are already under way, and I see the energy and the commitment that's dedicated to meeting this challenge, I believe that many of the elements that will help us re-establish the vital link between buildings and community are already in place. It is that link that will give our historic places of worship faith in their future. So, I am happy to support the motion and agree that we need to work with the various denominations to secure a future for these buildings. Of course, we will need to work with other partners, but I hope that I have explained that we are seeking to do just that.
Welsh: A hoffwn ddechrau efallai drwy roi ychydig o enghreifftiau da o lle mae'r dull hwn wedi bod yn llwyddiannus ac yna esbonio'n fyr sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda phartneriaid ar lefel strategol ar hyn o bryd i fynd i'r afael â rhai o'r pryderon cyffredin hyn. Felly, mae yna gynlluniau addasu, er enghraifft, sy'n ymateb i werth cymdeithasol adeiladau crefyddol, gyda ffyrdd newydd o'u defnyddio sy'n sicrhau budd i'r gymuned. Ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi buddsoddi'n helaeth yn rhai o'r rhain, gan gynnwys y llyfrgell yng nghapel Hanbury ym Margod. Mae'r rhaglen Trawsnewid Trefi yn cefnogi prosiectau sy'n datblygu eiddo sy'n cael ei danddefnyddio neu sy'n wag, gan gynnwys sawl hen addoldy. Ac rwy'n cymeradwyo ymrwymiad Circus Eruption yn arbennig, elusen ieuenctid sydd wedi ymsefydlu yn hen eglwys Sant Luke yng Nghwmbwrla yn Abertawe. Maent yn gweithio'n bennaf gyda phobl ifanc, gan gynnwys ffoaduriaid, ceiswyr lloches, gofalwyr ifanc a'r anabl, ac maent eisiau i'r adeilad hanesyddol hwn fod yn lle i bawb. Fel elusen nad oes ganddi unrhyw brofiad blaenorol o dreftadaeth, maent hefyd eisiau ysbrydoli elusennau eraill i weld bod adeiladau treftadaeth yn creu cyfle. Mae rhaglen Cyfiawnder Tai Cymru, Ffydd mewn Tai Fforddiadwy, yn gweithio mewn partneriaeth â nifer o gymdeithasau tai yng Nghymru i ryddhau tir neu adeiladau dros ben ar gyfer tai fforddiadwy. Ar hyn o bryd mae'r sefydliad yn gweithio gyda'r Gronfa Treftadaeth Bensaernïol ar brosiect peilot sy'n canolbwyntio ar addasu capeli hanesyddol segur. Mae mannau addoli hefyd yn cael eu hannog i ymchwilio i ffyrdd y gallant agor eu drysau at ddefnydd y gymuned, ochr yn ochr â'u diben gwreiddiol. Enghraifft bwysig, rwy'n siŵr y bydd Mike Hedges yn ymwybodol ohoni, yw Tabernacl Treforys, lle bydd mannau ategol yn cael eu haddasu at ddefnydd y gymuned, gan adael tu mewn gogoneddus y capel heb ei newid a gwneud defnydd ohono. Nawr, tra bod agor y drysau i ddiwallu anghenion y gymuned leol yn bwysig, ni fydd o reidrwydd yn darparu digon o incwm i gadw to ar yr adeilad. Fodd bynnag, gall mannau addoli estyn allan at gymuned lawer ehangach i helpu i gynnal yr adeiladau hynny. Er enghraifft, mae diddordeb cynyddol mewn twristiaeth ffydd, ac rydym yn dechrau gweld syniadau newydd creadigol i wireddu ei photensial, gan gynnwys profiadau y gellir eu harchebu a llwybrau thema a hyrwyddir gan Croeso Cymru ac Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol yr Eglwysi. Mewn achosion eithriadol, gall adeiladau crefyddol gwag gael eu cynnal a'u cadw heb eu newid i raddau helaeth gan ymddiriedolaethau a sefydlwyd yn benodol at y diben hwnnw. Ac mae dwy ymddiriedolaeth sy'n gweithredu'n genedlaethol yng Nghymru. Mae gennym Cyfeillion Eglwysi Digyfaill, sy'n achub ac yn atgyweirio eglwysi gwag yr Eglwys yng Nghymru ac yn cadw eu drysau ar agor, ac ar hyn o bryd mae ganddi tua 28 o eglwysi, mewn ardaloedd gwledig yn bennaf. Yna mae gennym Addoldai Cymru, a sefydlwyd i ofalu am nifer fach o'r capeli anghydffurfiol gorau ledled Cymru, ac ar hyn o bryd mae'n gofalu am 10 capel. Mae'r ddau sefydliad yn derbyn cymorth grant blynyddol gan Lywodraeth Cymru i barhau â'u gwaith. Felly, mae addasu ar gyfer defnydd newydd sy'n ymateb i arwyddocâd llawn adeiladau crefyddol, cyflwyno ffyrdd ychwanegol o'u defnyddio sy'n helpu i gynnal adeilad, estyn allan at amrywiaeth o gymunedau newydd a diddordebau newydd neu gyflwyno i ymddiriedolaeth yn enghreifftiau o ffyrdd y gellir rhoi dyfodol i'n hadeiladau crefyddol. Ond mae pob un ohonynt yn dibynnu ar bobl - i ofalu am yr adeiladau, i agor y drysau, i groesawu ymwelwyr, i ddarparu gwasanaeth cymunedol. Maent yn dangos pwysigrwydd trosfwaol creu cysylltiadau newydd rhwng adeiladau a'u cymunedau, gan gydnabod bod yr adeiladau hyn yn eiddo i bob un ohonom. Felly, mae'n galonogol fod llawer yn mynd ymlaen eisoes i geisio mynd i'r afael â hyn, a hoffwn i'r gweithgarwch hwn gael ei rannu a'i ddathlu'n ehangach. Nawr, efallai fod yr Aelodau'n ymwybodol fod Llywodraeth Cymru, drwy Cadw, wedi cyhoeddi cynllun gweithredu strategol ar gyfer mannau addoli yng Nghymru yn 2015. Roedd y cynllun yn canolbwyntio ar bobl a chymunedau yn defnyddio, yn mwynhau ac yn gofalu am fannau addoli hanesyddol, a'i gam gweithredu pwysicaf oedd sefydlu fforwm mannau addoli i rannu gwybodaeth ac arferion gorau ac adolygu anghenion parhaus. Denodd y fforwm gynrychiolaeth o bob rhan o'r sector ac am nifer o flynyddoedd defnyddiwyd ei gyfarfodydd fel cyfle i ddysgu o brosiectau amrywiol ledled Cymru. Cafodd y cyfarfodydd wyneb yn wyneb hyn eu hatal gan y pandemig wrth gwrs, ond manteisiodd y fforwm ar y cyfle i fyfyrio ar ei gyfeiriad ac mae bellach yn y broses o ymsefydlu ar sail newydd. Gyda chymorth grant gan Lywodraeth Cymru, unwaith eto drwy Cadw, mae Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol yr Eglwysi yn trefnu cyfres o ddigwyddiadau fforwm i gynnal adolygiad ffurfiol o'i gwaith a'r cynllun strategol. Yn ogystal, maent yn defnyddio cyfarfodydd gweminar ar-lein i gyrraedd pobl ar lawr gwlad. Mae tri chyfarfod o'r fath eisoes wedi'u cynnal, gan ddod â siaradwyr at ei gilydd i gynnig cyngor proffesiynol, gyda lleisiau angerddol o gymunedau ledled Cymru yn siarad am eu profiadau eu hunain. Roedd y ddau ddigwyddiad diweddaraf yn canolbwyntio ar ymgysylltu â'r gymuned a chodi arian. Yn ddiweddarach y mis hwn, bydd y digwyddiad nesaf yn ystyried yr amgylchedd ac ymatebion i newid hinsawdd. Ond rwy'n hoff o awgrym Mike Hedges y gallem archwilio'r posibilrwydd o ddefnyddio adeilad eglwys gwag, neu gapel, fel amgueddfa genedlaethol ar gyfer crefydd. Credaf fod hyn yn rhywbeth y gallai'r fforwm edrych arno fel cyfle i weld pa bosibiliadau a allai fod ar gael i rai o'r adeiladau gwag hyn. Nawr, nid wyf o dan unrhyw gamargraff ynghylch maint yr her. Ond pan fyddaf yn arolygu'r mentrau sydd eisoes ar y gweill, a phan welaf yr egni a'r ymrwymiad sy'n cael ei roi i gyflawni'r her hon, credaf fod llawer o'r elfennau a fydd yn ein helpu i ailsefydlu'r cysylltiad hanfodol rhwng adeiladau a chymunedau eisoes yn eu lle. Y cyswllt hwnnw a fydd yn rhoi ffydd i'n mannau addoli hanesyddol yn eu dyfodol. Felly, rwy'n fodlon cefnogi'r cynnig ac rwy'n cytuno bod angen inni weithio gyda'r gwahanol enwadau i sicrhau dyfodol i'r adeiladau hyn. Wrth gwrs, bydd angen inni weithio gyda phartneriaid eraill, ond rwy'n gobeithio fy mod wedi egluro ein bod yn ceisio gwneud hynny.