THE new owners of a Cardigan bookshop which they won in a raffle have met for the first time.

Dutchman Ceisjan van Heerden – known as CJ - is to take over Bookends, at the Arcade, High Street, after his name was pulled out of the hat when current owner Paul Morris decided to retire and came up with the novel idea of raffling off the business – a move which generated worldwide interest.

CJ, who already lives in the area, will run the shop with Icelandic friend Sveinejorn Einarsson, who is giving up his job in technical support at Vodafone in Reykjavik to move to Cardigan.

The two have known each other as online friends for the past eight or nine years – but until a couple of weeks ago when 23-year-old Sveinejorn flew into the country, they had actually never met face to face.

“I did not know what CJ looked like until I saw a picture of him in the Tivyside when you published the original story,” said Sveinejorn, who landed at Bristol airport for the pair’s first meeting.

“However, I had met his parents when they were visiting Iceland, which is kind of weird.”

Sveinejorn has been to the UK before but this flying visit before formally taking over the shop on November 5 was his first time in Wales.

“From what I have seen so far, the area is beautiful and the people are super-friendly. I cannot wait to move here and to work in the shop,” he said.

“I don’t have a lot of experience in that area but I have been a bar tender and customs broker before and the thought of running the shop, which is much bigger than I imagined, is so exciting.

“It’s a real adventure for more. It would have been more mad not to take this opportunity than to take it. It’s certainly not an everyday thing but I just have to do it.

“Sure, it’s going to be a massive change to what I am used to but I hope it’s going to be a lot of fun.

“All I know about Wales is what CJ has told me and from what I have seen on TV through Doctor Who, Torchwood and sketches in Little Britain!”