Village pub to reopen as community hub after £535,000 fundraiser

The pub has remained closed since the first national lockdown in March 2020

A pub is due to reopen by Christmas after £535,000 was raised by villagers to transform it into a community hub.

The White Lion Hotel in Cerrigydrudion, Conwy county, closed at the start of the first lockdown in March 2020.

The money was raised in July after residents feared a developer would demolish it and turn it into flats.

Organiser Dr Dermot Norton said: "It's mindboggling to believe that people want to save this hotel pub as much as they do."

He added: "During lockdown we realised how sad our lives were when we couldn't meet up or we couldn't speak to each other.

"Lockdown has come to an end but if the pub stayed closed then lockdown could continue forever for the local people."

Enough money was raised to buy the building and pay for renovations

Before the pandemic, the pub had been on sale for five years with an asking price of £350,000.

Owner Tony Davies reduced the price to £325,000 for the community on condition they could buy it within three months.

The remaining fundraising money is being spent on renovations, with some work being carried out by volunteers.

Elwyn Roberts said that once the work was complete, it would be the "hub of the village".

"There's people who have put their heart and soul into it and volunteering their time," she added.

The pub is remembered as the place where Prime Minister David Lloyd George once stayed after being caught in heavy snow while returning home along the A5.

In the 1970s, it was owned by entertainer Ronnie Williams, one half of the Ronnie and Ryan comedy duo.

The community says the pub should be up and running by Christmas