Picking up a pint of milk or a loaf of bread or the local paper just got a whole lot easier for the people of a small Vale of Clwyd village.
It’s been more than 20 years since the residents of Cyffylliog had a local shop but that has now been put right thanks the Prince Charles inspired Pub is the Hub organisation.
The village pub, the Red Lion, has turned what was the front hall of the building into a fully-equipped shop complete with freezer and chill cabinet and with shelves full of the essentials of life, from batteries to baked beans.
Landlord Nirmal Singh and his family know all about running a shop, they used to do just that in Birmingham before taking over the Red Lion last year.
Now, as well as being one of the few pubs in North Wales to offer authentic Indian cuisine, it is also one of the few to be able to supply you with most of your groceries as well.
The new venture has been made possible by Pub is the Hub which was launched in Denbighshire in 2009 by rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd, who have given a grant of £7,500, 75 per cent of the total cost, towards the project.
That has been paid for by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) through the Welsh Government’s Rural Development Plan, part of a three-year plan to revitalise rural communities and their economies in the county.
The new shop has been officially opened by Clwyd West Assembly Member Darren Millar who popped in to pick up a few essentials and welcomed the venture.
He said: “All too often we see village shops closing across North Wales so it’s great to see a new one opening and if it also helps keep the local pub going then that’s even better.
“It’s great that the Red Lion has such a good relationship with its local community and that Cadwyn Clwyd are getting behind the project too in partnership with Pub is the Hub.
“It’s clear that the community support here in Cyffylliog is so good that I’m sure you will be here for many years and I would thank you for having the vision to carry out this project.”
Cadwyn Clwyd Rural Services Officer Helen Roberts said: “We thought it was a brilliant idea and exactly the sort of community project that Pub Is The Hub is all about.
“It’s so important for village communities to have focal points like schools, churches and chapels and pubs and shops too and this is a wonderful example with the pub stepping in to run a shop too.
“We’re also very proud that Cadwyn Clwyd, who launched the first Pub Is The Hub scheme in Wales in Denbighshire, has now seen it spread to seven other areas of Wales, Flintshire, Conwy, Gwynedd, Anglesey, Ceredigion, Bridgend and Vale of Glamorgan.
“This is a pet project of Prince Charles and one that he has been monitoring closely since it began in rural Denbighshire.”
Nirmal Singh added: “My family had a shop in Birmingham so we knew how to set it up and it makes things a lot easier for the people here and saves them a lot of time and petrol.
“It’s convenient and it’s added value for the village and the local community which we are part of and which we want to support.”
Local Community Councillor Emrys Williams said: “I’m delighted to see a shop here again. It’s been more than 20 years since the old shop closed.
“It’s something that the pub came up with and I just hgope that people support it and use it because you don’t want to be going up and down the road to Ruthin just to buy a bottle of milk.
“You can have many a good night in the poub as well and they also make it available for our meetings, the farmers meet there every month.
“The pub is very community-focused, there’s a great atmosphere and very good food and always a smile behind the bar – we’re very lucky to have them here.”
Pub is the Hub, whose patron is Prince Charles, has been running since 2001 in England where it has been revitalising rural pubs and their local communities by providing services ranging from a post office and shop to a school meals service.
It is estimated that five pubs are closing every day across the UK – almost 2,000 closed last year – and many of these are in rural areas where shops and schools are also under threat.
Prince Charles believes rural communities “are facing unprecedented challenges” and the country pub which, he says: “has been at the heart of village life for centuries, is disappearing in many areas”.
He wants to see more pubs offer new services and that’s the goal of Cadwyn Clwyd’s Helen Roberts who added: “We want the village pub to be at the heart of the community, just as it is here in Cyffylliog.
“Where appropriate we want to encourage people to use the pub as a meeting place and also perhaps as a grocer, a newsagent, laundrette – even a collection point for doctors’ prescriptions or a venue for the local mother and toddler group.
“Many pubs are under threat and we want to get the community involved as well as the landlords in thinking about what they can do to save the local pub.”
The service Cadwyn Clwyd and Pub is the Hub are offering includes expert advice such as help with business plans and even financial help.
The scheme is open to pubs in all rural towns and villages in Denbighshire, and licensees and communities who are eligible can benefit from financial assistance.
It will provide capital grants of up to 75 per cent of the total eligible project costs, to a maximum of £10,000.
Licensees will also benefit from the services of a specialist pub advisor who will provide support and guide them through the process from start to finish.