Plans to retain the Crymych Arms at the heart of community life are forging ahead following confirmation that over £90,000 of pledges have been received within just six weeks.

The announcement was made this week by West Wales community development charity , PLANED.

"There has been great interest in this community enterprise project with a total of £91,600 of pledges received within just six weeks,” commented Planed’s Cris Tomos.

“People are now beginning to ask what they will receive for their community investment so we’ve decided to hold a second public meeting on February 6, where people will be given an update on pledges that have already been received as well as an outline of the business plan and share offer documents which will commence the collection of community shares.”

The public meeting will take place at Crymych Market Hall on Monday, February 6 at 7pm.

It is proposed that the Crymych Arms will be used as the new club house for Crymych Football Club as well as a community hub for the village and wider community.

Following the first public meeting which was held just before Christmas, a steering group has been formed to oversee the fundraising.

The group is currently researching what grants may be available, both locally and nationally, however these will only form a small part of the necessary funding. It is estimated that around £250,000 will need to be sourced in order to buy the pub.

“As part of the grant applications, we need to establish how much the community is willing to invest, and whether there is a genuine willingness, both in Crymych and the wider community, to contribute sufficient funds to make the project work,” commented Martin Lloyd, chair of the management committee.

Mr Lloyd added that any surplus funding will be used to develop community sports and other outdoor activities.

People are being asked to invest a minimum of £100 for a single share, which will enable them to have a vote and a say in the affairs of the club.

The business will operate strictly on a one member, one vote basis, regardless of how many shares people hold.

For further information on the project, Cris Tomos can be contacted on 01834 860965 or emailed at cris.tomos@planed.org.uk