One of Anglesey's recent business successes was visited by Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport, Lord Elis-Thomas

The Sea Shanty Café in Trearddur Bay opened its doors in July 2016 following a co-ordinated effort from its creator Philip Brown, Anglesey County Council and funding from Visit Wales.

Located behind the main beach of Trearddur Bay, the site sits behind the sand dunes and has 160 covers inside with a further 55 outside.

The interior draws on the coastal location and maritime heritage of the area to bring a strong sense of place to the village. Wooden sailing boats and vintage outboard motors can be seen on the ceiling while curiosities brought to life by local craftsmen are exhibited everywhere. Each piece of work bears a plaque acknowledging the local artisan responsible.

The café/restaurant celebrates the sea shore in a most unusual way - bottles of sand from beaches all over the world are displayed along one entire wall with shells, shipwreck copper, driftwood, and other beach finds adorning the walls.

The minister met Mr Brown who reported that the business had initially expected to create 32 jobs, but now employs more than 60 people and provides ancillary business to dozens of other local trades.

Mr Brown, said: “Sea Shanty is a classic example of how public and private sector can work together for the benefit of both. Personally, the creative side has been huge fun and given all of us involved the opportunity to express our views in areas such as re-cycling, litter clearance and architectural environmental enhancement. Food from local growers, fishermen and producers is used whenever possible and I’m proud to say that we have a large number of Welsh speaking staff greeting and serving customers”.

Lord Elis-Thomas, said: “As we celebrate our Year of the Sea this year it was an excellent opportunity to see how the Sea Shanty is making the most of our magnificent coastline and ensuring that that sense of place permeates every aspect of the business from décor to menus.

"The Sea Shanty is part of a growing family of high quality coastal restaurants in Wales which are giving people an excellent experience of Welsh food and hospitality. I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support this development and wish the team every success for the future. ”

The venture was supported through Welsh Government Tourism funding, details on the funding available can be accessed on this link https://businesswales.gov.wales/tourism/finance