‘There’s great community spirit and so much going on for such a small town’
Kidwelly has been named one of the best places to live in Wales. Caitlin Arlow took a trip to the coastal community to find out why
DRIVING into the little picturesque town of Kidwelly, visitors are greeted with beautiful homes, a long canal and a historic castle, alongside beautiful little coffee shops and unique independent stores.
It doesn’t take long for anyone to realise the reason why this gorgeous town has been named one of the best places to live in the UK.
Last week, property finder company Garrington’s published its marketing report for this year’s best places to live in Wales, Scotland and England. The seaside town of Kidwelly was ranked in fifth position.
The Garrington’s report ranked towns, cities and villages on measures covering four categories – physical environment, quality of living, architecture or heritage, and going green.
Kidwelly was ranked the highest in the quality of living category. Spend a few minutes speaking to a resident and you’ll quickly find out how welcoming the people can be.
Lisa Lloyd manages Kidwelly community hub, which provides a place for any member of the community and plays a vital role for people to socialize.
“We are an independent organisation that was set up eight years ago. It’s somewhere for anyone in the community to come in for help with lots of different things like computer services,” Lisa said.
“We don’t give any professional advice but if someone came in and wanted information about different services, we can either point them in the right direction to contact the organisation they need or maybe make them an appointment with someone.
“We have a lot of users coming in to just have a chat and a cuppa, a lot of elderly people are lonely, they just want a conversation and maybe they haven’t seen anybody all week and they come in and have a cuppa and it’s a regular thing for them. They make friends then because they meet people in similar situations and a few friendships have been created.”
Lisa added: “Location-wise, we’ve got history, we’ve got the castle, the history of the canal, the coast, which is a huge draw, so you just have the best of everything here. It’s a small town with history, the coastline is stunning and the beach up the road is seven miles long. The people in the town are very community orientated. We’ve still got the old town feeling.”
Cecilia Magor, owner of independent coffee shop Time For Tea, said the area has everything she needs on her doorstep.
She added: “I have lived in Kidwelly since 1999, I came to live here because it had a bit of everything, it has newsagents, the butchers, the pharmacy, it’s got everything you need. We’ve got dogs and there’s a lot of lovely walks and a lot of places to go after work which is nice.
“I guess it’s been named one of the best places to live in Wales because it is. There’s everything you would need in the town, but with the beauty of the countryside all into one. I set up business here and I’m still here. I’m not Welsh myself but my husband was and I’ve been welcomed here from day one.”
Edan Davies, owner of Edan Ash Fine Chocolates, an independent chocolate shop and cafe, said the local people are the lifeblood of his shop.
He said Kidwelly being named one of the best places to live in Wales is great for the community, and added: “It’s a fantastic place for my business and for everyone around here. I think it’s a bit of a shock to people in Kidwelly, but from the outside it’s fantastic. I started my shop here because of the history of the town. It’s got a lot more history than your bog standard town, it’s got loads of medieval history and a general history going back years and years and it’s got its own character.
“The summer is tourists all the time here, we see different people every single day. I’ll see the locals around Easter time and then all the tourists in the summer which is good. The locals are the reason why I’m here, if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here, especially with the Covid, they are the lifeblood of the shop and then the tourists kind of get the bonus of what the town is keeping in it.”
Resident Simon volunteers in the town and plays a big part in community projects.
He said: “I’m not from here, but I’ve lived here 10 years. I’m from Carmarthen and I couldn’t afford to buy a house there, it was just through fate that I ended up here and I just got involved within the community here.
“For such a small town here there’s a heck of a lot going on. I volunteer here because I just want to give back to my community.”
Simon explained why he thinks Kidwelly has been named one of the best places to live in Wales.
He said: “The community. The people. They could have all the lovely buildings in the world, but without the people it would be nothing. Everyone’s friendly, everyone knows each other, there’s a great community spirit for such a small town and there’s so much going on here.
“You’ve got the craft bombing, the carnival, the hub and all the independent businesses. I think more shops will be better but I wouldn’t want to see character of it lost either.”
Resident Liz Davies has lived in Mynydd-y-Garreg for 12 years and said the fact the area is such an amazing place brought her here.
Liz said: “The community of Mynydd-y-Garreg and Kidwelly are so close knit, it’s a beautiful place, right by the sea and countryside. We were in Llanelli before and that’s what brought us here. It’s got what I was looking for when I moved, it’s got community, a beautiful place to live, amazing links, we’re between two major towns and everything is accessible.
“I wouldn’t move away. I’ve found somewhere that fits, fits my lifestyle which is vital and a lot of people look for somewhere which they are comfortable and safe and I feel very safe.”
Liz also involves herself within her community.
She said: “I do lots of community stuff in Mynydd-y-Garreg. I involve myself in the community events in Kidwelly as a volunteer and I just absolutely love it. I don’t work anymore so I have time to involve myself in lots of different things.”