Community cohesion: Promoting health and wellbeing and supporting social connections
The Halfway, Tal-y-Coed, describes itself as a “traditional Welsh country pub with a twist.”
Situated halfway (hence its name) between the historic market towns of Abergavenny and Monmouth in Tal-y-coed, near Llantilio Crossenny, this 17th century coaching inn is a home from home for members of the local community.
The area has a population of just over 730 people and limited services with no local shop or public transport links to nearby more populated areas. The nearest supermarket is over a 20-minute drive (40-minute roundtrip) and the road can be closed in bad weather.
This is a rural community where many people including farmers, live and work alone, meaning they have little opportunity for social interaction.
The pub, which has seating for only 35 people, has a strong food trade serving traditional countryside meals but little space for other community events.
Publicans Rhiannon Metters and Jason James are passionate about ensuring the pub is the hub of this rural community. They soon realised that people in the area had a lack of services and places to meet and asked Pub is The Hub for help.
Health and Wellbeing
Members of the local community were supportive of the pub offering more services.
A grant from the Pub is The Hub Community Services fund meant The Halfway launched a new village store inside an area of the pub in March 2025, stocking a range of essentials from bread, milk, cheese, bacon, honey and ham.
It has proved so popular with people living locally that they have extended the range of products and it currently supports more than 15 other local businesses supplying items such as flowers, butter and local chocolate – all from within 10 miles of the pub.
The store is so popular that there is already a WhatsApp group where locals can request items and make orders.
The profits from the shop are being ploughed into helping the community with free or subsidised courses being held in a marquee at the pub that was also supported with a grant from Pub is The Hub. This is being used as community hub to support social interaction, community cohesion and promote health and wellbeing.
The marquee has already proved to be a popular venue for a variety of courses which help to bring people together in this isolated community. These have included creative workshops such as knitting being held with a local supplier, Yoga classes, Pizza making and even CPR and defibrillator training so local people can use the defibrillator at the pub.
The pub, through the village store and marquee, is supporting local businesses and the rural economy by providing an outlet for local farmers, producers, crafters and other enterprises.
Rhiannon and Jason have also made a decision to set up a Community Interest Company (CIC) so that they can apply for grants and reinvest money in supporting the educational classes in the marquee.
Youth Work
Rhiannon has a background as a youth worker and she wants to help bring young people together. She has already created a working partnership with the local Llangattock school to provide educational opportunities at the pub.
Young people from the school have attended the pub and carried out various work experience opportunities. The village shop will also provide further opportunity to create partnerships with other schools and youth service providers to ensure young people are given opportunities and responsibility to rotate stock, clean, carry out marketing, advertising posts, serve customers and learn about local producers.
Rhiannon is looking forward to developing this project further.
She also works with another group called We are Farming Minds, a charity that helps support farmers who are exposed to loneliness, isolation and pressure. She will be looking to hold events to support members of the farming community as well as other local people enabling them to connect in a safe space.
The pub has also engaged with the Creative Lives project, supported by Pub is The Hub and funded by the Royal Countryside Fund. A craft box has been used to engage with children in the area as well as older members of the community. This had proved so popular that Rhiannon is now purchasing more creative stationary to keep this as an ongoing activity.
“We are situated in an isolated rural community with the pub being the hub of the area. It is so important that we support local people ensuring they are not feeling isolated and alone. We are very passionate about making sure this is a pub for everyone in the area.
Publican Rhiannon Metters said: “We have noticed that there are a lot of new people, including females on their own, coming in to use the pub, either using the village store or joining for classes. I can relate to a lot of issues that these customers have such as the isolation of living in a rural area and I enjoy attending the courses along with them. There is a massive community benefit to having everyone getting together.”
“With the nearest supermarket being 20 mins away the village store here in this isolated rural area is such a support to people in the local community.”
Pub is The Hub regional advisor Roger Belle said: “The village store and marquee have proved to be key in supporting this isolated rural community. These publicans are real heroes in stepping beyond running their pub to be a real community hub.
“Offering the services and activities to support people in this area of Wales is proving to be a lifeline to overcome social isolation and loneliness.”