3 days ago
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Pembrokeshire: Brynmyrnach Chapel to become heritage centre
Brynmyrnach Chapel in Hermon, Pembrokeshire, will now serve the community in a different way after its congregation gathered for the last time in September 2022, closing the doors on 134 years of worship.
Following more than two years of fundraising and negotiations, volunteers have secured the building and plan to transform it into a heritage centre, pop-up cafe, and two-bedroom flats to help address housing needs for young people.
Cris Tomos, who first proposed the idea at a public meeting, said: "The new Heritage and Housing Trust is a Community Benefit Society and limited company.
"Local people are the shareholders in this cooperative housing venture that will have a local letting policy allowing affordable housing for local families and couples.
"This could be a blueprint for other communities to take on the chapels and churches that are closing."
A total of 20 community investors helped raise £40,000 to purchase the chapel.
The social enterprise behind the project, CarTrefUn Ltd, has since secured funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund, administered by Pembrokeshire County Council.
Plans are already in motion to convert the building into a self-sustaining, community-owned hub that celebrates the agricultural, industrial, Welsh language, and cultural heritage of Hermon and the wider Llanfyrnach parish.
A public meeting will be held at Brynmyrnach Chapel on Wednesday, August 13, at 6pm.
Attendees are invited to share ideas and help shape the future of the site, which leaders hope will remain rooted in community needs and values.
Mr Tomos said: "People in the village have already come up with additional ideas of a pop-up cafe and even a community bread oven to bake local produce."
Following the meeting, refreshments and a presentation will take place at Canolfan Hermon, the village hall.
Anyone interested in getting involved can contact the team at cartrefun@ or call 01239 831968.
Updates and information are also available on the project's Facebook page, Cartrefun.
