The Glan Llyn is located in Clawddnewydd, which is a village in the community of Derwen, Denbighshire with a population of approximately 500.
The village also has a community centre (Canolfan Cae Cymro) and a community shop, which opened in 2001 (Siop y Fro), all owned and run by the villagers. Cae Cymro is the name of the field adjoining the community centre, where Clawddnewydd FC play their Llandyrnog and District Summer League home fixtures.
The Glan Llyn pub went into official receivership in May 2013, and this became public knowledge in September 2013. The villagers decided to set up a group to try and buy and run the pub as a community operation, and called a meeting at the beginning of October at which they set themselves a target of raising £180,000 to buy and renovate the pub.
By December 2013, and in just under 10 weeks, the Antur Cae Cymro Village Association had reached their target and managed to raise £90,000 from fundraising within the community, with a loan of £90,000 from the WCVA (Welsh Council Voluntary Associations) also agreed. A purchase price of £137,500 for the pub was negotiated with the receivers and bank, and the purchase completed in December.
The refurbishing of the Glan Llyn pub started to take place and the bar was reinstated to its original position, as it had been moved over the years. A new decking area was also installed to the front of the pub and an old unused cellar and domestic area were updated and a new sports bar (home to the pool table and darts board) was created out of these under-utilised areas.
The future plan includes a complete kitchen refurbishment, with brand new equipment, worktops, freezers, fryers and grills which will mean that the Glan Llyn team can employ a full-time chef. Around £40,000 has been spent on refurbishments so far, and an extra £24,000 has been generated for further improvements through profit from the pub and continued fundraising.
The Glan Llyn is run on a day-to-day basis by around 20 volunteers, and they carry out the ordering, accounts, the staff rota and catering. The bar staff are all paid employees, and the volunteers occasionally help out on the bar too. The skills and background of the volunteers includes office staff and farmers, and they are all local villagers.
The group are offering Sunday lunches and covers range from an average of 30 up to 60, which they hope to build on once the kitchen renovation has taken place and the full-time chef is employed.
Feedback from locals has been really positive, and the group plan to continue fundraising. Two festivals have been held at the pub to raise money for refurbishments – a further festival is planned for December 2014.
Project funding – £25,000 has received via two grants from Cadwyn Clwyd.
For more information telephone 01423 546165 or email enquiries@pubisthehub.org.uk