Ceredigion: Pub loved by Dylan Thomas gets grant to preserve it for future generations
A pub frequented by legendary poet Dylan Thomas has received a £300,000 grant to pay for renovations.
The Vale of Aeron pub is said to have been a favourite haunt of the poet and playwright behind Under Milk Wood when he lived near the area in the 1940s.
The Ceredigion pub aims to use the investment to renovate the building and make it accessible to the whole community.
The Menter Tafarn Dyffryn Aeron cooperative is one of many Welsh communities to have raised money to invest in the local community.
The group raised an initial £300,000 in December 2021 and aimed to provide a space for locals to socialise whilst also supporting the local economy.
Welsh actors Rhys Ifans and Matthew Rhys were among those who supported the bid by members of the local community.
It is one of three Welsh projects set to receive a total of £770,057 from the UK Government as a part of their Community Ownership Fund.
It aims to support institutions like the Vale of Aeron pub so they can be run by the community, for the community.
"It’s excellent news for us. We succeeded two years ago to raise the money to purchase the Pub through a community venture but there are a lot of renovations that need to be done." said the community venture's chairman, Iwan Thomas.
He continued: "The money from the fund will allow us to make the site more accessible to all members of the local community. It is an old building, and that in itself has its challenges, but we aim to make it more sustainable and a lot greener.
"It is so important for the local community considering seven or eight pubs have closed down in neighbouring villages over the past years, and we wanted to guarantee that would not happen to the Vale of Aeron."
The number of pubs being demolished or converted for other uses across England and Wales surged by 50% over the latest quarter, according to recent figures. During the first six months of the year, Wales lost the greatest number of pubs, with 52 disappearing.
Mr Thomas added: "It is more than just a pub, it’s the unofficial home for the local football team, an unofficial base for the local Young Farmers club, a hub for Welsh lessons and much more."
18 projects in Wales have received £4 million through the Community Ownership Fund.
A grant of £187,557 will also go to the Judge's Lodging Museum, in Powys, and the Temperance Hall Printworks, in Haverfordwest, will get £282,500.
“These three latest Welsh recipients of the Community Ownership Fund are all fantastic projects that will make a huge difference to their local areas”, said Welsh Secretary David TC Davies.
A total of 195 projects are being supported across the UK.
Levelling Up minister, Jacob Young, said: "Our priority is to support communities and deliver opportunities right across the country.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…