Pubs to be bought by local communities after funding

Three rundown pubs are to be bought by local communities after receiving funding from the UK government.

The community ownership fund is intended to help local groups buy "institutions that have fallen into disrepair".

The Cross Inn and the Tafarn Crymych Arms which are both in Pembrokeshire, and The Radnor Arms Hotel, Powys, will each receive around £200,000.

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies said pubs were a "lifeblood".

Councillor Cris Tomos is involved in the scheme to reopen the Tafarn Crymych Arms, which is being coordinated by the local football club.

He said it was "quite a shock" to wake up to an email confirming that they had been awarded £210,000.

"It means a lot because we had to provide match funding of 50% of this amount," Mr Tomos told BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast on Friday.

"It's good to see that local people have worked hard to raise money and pay for shares in the scheme."

Mr Tomos said the funds meant that they could now purchase the pub, which has been closed for 18 months.

"What's great about a community venture like this is that local people are in charge, it's the locals that decide what to do," he added.

Mr Tomos said the pub could reopen as soon as this summer.

"We want to open it as a community pub in the village," he said. "But it can also be a hub for other events or clubs, like the Welsh learners, or other sports clubs."

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies said he was "delighted" to see projects in Wales had received funding.

"In many rural areas the pub is the lifeblood of the village, creating jobs and boosting the local economy, as well as providing locals with a place to socialise and come together," Mr Davies said.

Three other projects in Wales will receive funding from the scheme: