Pub reopens after major community effort
A 200-year-old village pub which was once under threat of closure has finally reopened.
Tafarn y Plu – also known as Feathers Inn – in former Prime Minister David Lloyd George’s home village of Llanystumdwy near Criccieth, was officially opened as a community enterprise by Liz Saville Roberts MP recently.
The pub was on the brink of closure when it went up for sale in 2015. Concerned that the village could lose its beloved local, residents came together to set up a community benefit group called Menter y Plu.
They immediately started raising funds to buy the pub by selling ‘shares’ – and they were snapped up by people as far away as Australia, the USA and Germany.
The group has also garnered the support of volunteers and users on social media.
The plan to buy the Grade II Listed pub also received support from Arloesi Gwynedd and The Welsh Council for Voluntary Action’s community asset development fund, who agreed to contribute an additional £120,000 on top of the £80,000 raised by residents.
Director of Menter y Plu Tegid Jones is now “excited” about his beloved local’s future.
The 35 year-old said: “Last year, we wanted to buy Tafarn y Plu as a community venture, and we invited everyone to invest. It has been a year of immense campaigning and fundraising, and I am so happy with the result.”
Tafarn y Plu warmly welcomed punters to quench their thirst at the beginning of the month.
Mr Jones said: “We had a very busy night, and it was a great start to us! We haven’t done a lot of changes to the pub itself, because we wanted to keep the unique character of the place. But we are still working on changes in the kitchen, toilets, and the accommodation upstairs.”
Mr Jones also revealed that residents sprang into action and lent a helping hand in the lead up to its grand reopening.
He said: “Only last week, we had a group of 20 volunteers that came to the Plu, and helped us clean and clear inside and outside.
“Not only is this the last pub in the village, but, it’s also the last community hub in the area.
“It’s so important to keep centres like Tafarn y Plu open, because it’s good for our local economy and brings everyone together.”