 I'm Dr Paul Belford and I'm the Chief Executive of the Claude Paris Archaeological Trust. We are one of four Welsh archaeological trusts who together provide a complete archaeological service across the whole country. We operate regionally and have a national perspective and we have deep roots in our local communities. Today I'll talk about how our regional archaeology services have worked for nearly 50 years in Wales. I'll highlight our successes and identify some of the challenges we face in the future. First the Welsh archaeological trusts are charities. This means we are independent organisations that are independently regulated. This status gives us flexibility that's not always enjoyed by public sector colleagues and unlike private sector bodies we must deliver public benefit. Second Wales is a relatively small but topographically challenging country. It contains a huge diversity of landscapes, people and identities. Welsh language is central to cultural identity in North and West Wales, but different Welsh identities are equally powerful in Anglophone South East Wales. Population density also varies widely across different parts of the country. This affects demand and delivery of services. Finally the Welsh archaeological trusts are resilient. We have survived several significant structural shifts, devolution, local authority reorganisation and of course historic environment legislation. The Welsh trusts provide a comprehensive package of archaeological services for the people of Wales. This includes advice, investigation, management and education. The historic environment record in Wales is a statutory obligation placed on Welsh ministers and the Welsh HER is publicly accessible online through the Archwilio portal. Using the HER the Welsh archaeological trusts provide planning advice to all 25 local authorities in Wales including the three national parks. Across Wales we process around 9,000 applications every year although the intensity of this work varies across our regions and this work supports the Welsh Government's sustainable development goals. Our regional heritage management teams help conserve and protect schedule monuments, designated landscapes and non-designated assets and we deliver strategic input here too such as recent agri-environment and climate change policy work. We also provide advice and support to the public and local groups and on top of this we deliver a wide range of bespoke education and outreach programmes. Finally there is our commercial contracting work which builds skills expertise and knowledge to further enhance archaeological understanding in Wales and beyond. The work of the Welsh archaeological trusts is delivered using a combination of public and private funding. The HER planning advice and heritage management projects are publicly funded. About two-thirds of this comes from CADU Welsh Government with a balance from service agreements with local authorities and other public bodies and our commercial income supports our charitable objects of education and public benefit too. We work in close cooperation, collaboration and partnership with our government funded counterparts with other NGOs and with international project partners. The continuous development, evolution and refinement of the Welsh system is a huge achievement but the future is not without some challenges. Funding is an obvious worry although the level of CADU grant aid has been maintained in recent years its value has been eroded by inflation. Demand for our services is always increasing and so we need to work harder to develop new income streams. Another issue is demographics expertise and experience is vested in a small number of individuals. The trusts themselves are also relatively small organisations and this has the potential to limit individual career opportunities and can sometimes act as a deterrent innovation. A related issue is trying to make archaeology in Wales align better with the identities and values of future generations. Finally there is the question of advocacy. The four trusts are certainly champions for archaeology in Wales but our voices could be louder beyond Wales and when addressing global issues like climate change beyond archaeology too. I spoke earlier about the resilience of the Welsh archaeological trusts and this resilience is as much about adaptability and flexibility in the face of changing circumstances as it is about consistency and excellence. I feel confident that the system in Wales will continue to survive and prosper in the future. We've already begun to think about how to address some of the challenges we face whilst continuing to deliver excellent public service and public benefit. The Welsh model provides superb value for the public purse and indeed adds significant value across a wide range of activities. Wales sets a good example which could be adopted or adapted for other parts of the UK. Thank you for listening and please don't hesitate to get in touch if you want to find out more.