Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies is celebrating news that the purchase of the Salusbury Arms in Tremeirchion for the community, completed today (August 18th).
On 15th March, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt MP announced in his Budget that £175,000 in funding was to be provided through the UK Community Ownership Fund "to help ensure that the Salusbury Arms can be acquired and maintained for the benefit of the community".
For the plans to go ahead, the Tremeirchion Community Pub Steering Group had to match fund this amount. To achieve this they launched a Community Share Offer and by the beginning of April they had exceeded the target, raising £195,800.
James, who has supported the Steering Group in their efforts and assisted them with their application for funding from the UK Government, is delighted the ambition to reopen it as a hub for the local community has been met.
He said:
"It has been a long process to get to this point, but the hard work has paid off and I would like to congratulate all those involved in the process, from everyone on the steering committee to all the shareholders.
“The ambition was always to not only save a valuable facility in the village, but to create a community hub that is owned and managed by local people, and it is exciting that this has been achieved.
“The Salusbury Arms has been integral to the fabric of Tremeirchion for over 200 years and is now the only remaining pub in the village. It is an impressive, much-loved traditional pub with a great deal of history and it can now continue playing a vital role in the village for many more years to come.
“I look forward to visiting and congratulating all those who have been involved in the purchase very soon.”
In 2018 the historic inn was closed for more than a year and a local campaign was launched to save it. A community buy-out was considered then – but in the event, new tenants stepped in: Richard and Sue Green of the Dovecote Brewery in Denbigh, who have lived in Tremeirchion for almost three decades.
The Green family was keen to keep the place open until a long-term solution was found.
Last spring, the pub’s long-time owner approached the community with an offer to sell, prompting a local consultation that green-lighted the buy-out project.
Over the coming weeks, the opening times of the Salusbury Arms as the changeover occurs will be:
Friday 18th August 16:00-23:00
Saturday19th August 14:00-23:00
Sunday 20th August 14:00-19:00
Wednesday 23rd August 16:00-23:00
Sunday 27th August 14:00-22:00
Monday 28th August 12:00-23:00
The tea room will not be open this weekend, but the committee are working towards re opening it as soon as possible.
