Llandwrog villagers pledge £350k to reopen pub

Villagers have been celebrating getting closer to reopening their beloved local pub

Villagers are raising a glass after securing £350,000 of pledges to buy their local pub in under a week.

Ty'n Llan, in Llandwrog, Gwynedd, closed more than three years ago. Residents say it's vital the village has a community hub.

Scheme volunteer Grant Peisley said: "It's the only place we've got where people can come together to enjoy some time together and be a real community."

He said he wasn't surprised by the enthusiastic reaction from neighbours.

"People feel so strongly about Ty'n Llan," he said.

"It's so important for us here in the community."

• Beer and pub leaders plead for reopening date after sales halve in 2020

• Brains to close more than 100 pubs due to Wales' alcohol rules

• Alcohol ban for pubs 'an insult' to industry

The next step is for the campaign to turn the pledges into loans, then people can invest in the scheme by buying community shares.

A total of £350,000 has been secured in pledges to save Ty'n Llan, in Llandwrog, Gwynedd

The volunteers hope to be in a position to buy the pub within the next few months.

The 200-year-old building could be used as village shop, café, and community centre as well, Mr Peisley said.

Huw Jones, who was part of the group that started the campaign, said: "One thing that has happened because of Covid, people have been feeling the lack of a meeting place even more than usual.

"We haven't got a village hall, we haven't got a village shop, the pub had been closed for three years, so there was a real sense of 'where will we get together when this is all over?'.

"It's the local village itself that wants this."

Mr Jones emphasised that "other services will be provided" in the pub and villagers had many ideas for what these would be.

"The questionnaire was returned by more than 200 people with lots of ideas about what should be provided there, so we're all looking forward to an exciting time ahead," he said.

Carol Lewis, who was also behind the campaign, said: "We had an amazing response, to tell the truth.

"This just shows that people feel strongly that we should be investing in Ty'n Llan as a community."

• BARE KNUCKLE BOXING: Sean George prepares for the fight of his life

• THE HINDU BARD: Dorothy Bonarjee caused a sensation when she won a top Welsh cultural prize