There has been cause for celebration in Llandyrnog this week, with those spearheading plans for a Village Shop, Post Office and Community Hub having taken receipt of the full grant of £200k from the UK Government Community Ownership Fund (COF).
Last December, it was announced that Llandyrnog's community shop had been successful in securing funding from the COF to enable allow the purchase, redevelopment and reopening of the premises. This week they received the money, taking them one step closer to realising their ambition.
A further £200,000 has been promised in two phases via the Community Facilities Programme and an impressive additional £51,150 has already been raised through the sale of community shares. This means that all of the necessary funding is in place to allow the purchase and redevelopment of the premises.
Volunteers are now being sought to assist with all the stages to follow: renovation; refit; and the day to day running of the shop and community hub, when it opens to the public.
Anyone who feels they may have the ability to volunteer in any capacity, should please email: [email protected].
Vale of Clwyd MP, Dr James Davies, who has been working closely with the committee to progress the plans, is very pleased they now have the money in the bank and are on track to reopen the shop in March next year.
He said:
“The £150m Community Ownership Fund is for communities across the United Kingdom, providing people with the opportunity to become owners of at-risk local pubs, theatres, post offices, sports grounds and corner shops.
“When it was launched, I encouraged people in the Vale of Clwyd to apply and was really pleased when Llandyrnog resident Emyr Morris and other directors were successful with their application for funding to purchase and reopen the shop, install a café, and create a hub for mental health and loneliness services.
“The £200k landed in their bank account this Wednesday (October 25th), which means they can now progress with the purchase of the shop.
“This will be very welcome news to many local residents. I attended the public meeting on 11th October where we were provided with an update on progress from the committee. The support and enthusiasm for the development was clearly evident.
“I thank Emyr and all who have been involved in taking these plans forward for all their hard work. I know they have hit a number of obstacles along the way, but they are now in a position to move forward and their vision for the shop moves rapidly closer to becoming a reality.
“It is very rewarding to have been able to support such an important project and I look forward to continuing to assist over the coming months, as required.”
Emyr said:
“Llandyrnog Village Shop has been at the heart of the community for over a century and I am delighted that thanks to the funding we have received, it can become the social space our village has been waiting for.
“We have faced all sorts of hurdles, but we got there in the end. Realistically we are looking to complete the purchase of the shop by mid-November. When we are ready to exchange contracts, we will also receive £200k from the Communities Facilities Programme.
“The wish is to be up and running before the end of March next year. It is quite an extensive project and we are at the hands of builders and trades people, but I am hopeful that it can be achieved in this timescale.
“We held the recent public meeting to reassure people that after the delays, we were virtually there. They will be thrilled to hear that we have now actually received the money.
“It feels like it has been a long process, but in fact it was only in April 2022 that I first started putting a file together of ideas and it wasn’t until May 26th of that year that we set the firing pistols off. Compared to some projects we are progressing very well.
“Everything is now feeling very real as we take a leap forward towards purchasing the Llandyrnog Shop and Post Office for the Community. There is still work to be done before we have our opening day and we are all working hard to achieve this vision.”
Emryr went on to thank James and the COF support team for all their help in getting them to the position they are in today. He also thanked the UK Government Levelling Up Department “for their decision to fund our project and give this fantastic opportunity for the village of Llandyrnog”.
Picture Caption: Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies with Chairman Ivan Butler, and Directors Viv Rosser, Gina Johnston, Emryr Morris, and Jackie Le Fevre
