BBC Radio Wales presenter Dot Davies returns to her Cardigan roots

That was the verdict of BBC Radio Wales presenter Dot Davies who returned to her roots this morning (Tuesday) to try and pinpoint why Cardigan is bucking the trend of declining town centres all over the country.

Broadcasting from Crwst bakery and cafe in Priory Street, Dot – who was born and raised on a farm at nearby Penparc – interviewed a stream of shoppers, traders and visitors who were all unanimous in their opinion that ‘West is best!’ Her visit followed last month’s news that Cardigan had been named as one of the prettiest places to do Christmas shopping in the UK by The Times newspaper.

The historic Ceredigion market town was fourth on the list behind Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, St Andrews in Scotland, and Frome in Somerset.

Ben Robbins, owner of Tonnau Surf Co, said recent press coverage had been a welcome boost.

"It's great for exposure,” he added. “I'm just really happy to know that Cardigan is going up, up, up."

Cardigan High Street (Google Street View) (Image: File)

The Times said: "While some towns get decked out in tacky tinsel, cute Cardigan goes upmarket, its historic shops painted in a rainbow sherbet yellow, lipstick pink and spearmint green."

Osian Jones, who returned to Cardigan to open Crwst with wife Catrin, told Dot: “Yes, Cardigan is changing for the better – it is booming, week in week out, even in the winter.”

Crwst is one of those businesses surfing the wave. Last month brought the quintessential Cardi business international recognition with a mention in Vogue magazine.

“There’s a reason to come into town to shop,” explained Osian. “There are plenty of places to eat and plenty of places to shop – and it seems as if Cardigan is still on the rise.

“You can go from one end of the town to the other and get anything you need for Christmas.”

And David Hieatt, co-founder of the town’s world-renowned firm Hiut Denim, felt Cardigan’s emergence as ‘the new Narberth’ was down to a number of reasons.

“It’s not just one thing, it’s several things,” he said. “There’s Crwst, Yr Hen Printworks, Hiut Denim and so on.

“If there’s a cluster of excellence in one place then amazing things are going to happen.”

Dot Davies clearly enjoyed re-familiarising herself with Cardigan as well as meeting an array of faces, both old and new.

“There’s a genuine sense of optimism within the town and a growing awareness of the jewel that Cardigan really is,” she told her BBC Wales Radio listeners.

Praising the community’s spirit, town mayor Cllr Sian Maehrlein said Cardigan’s ‘quirky’ independent shops had found a way to survive alongside the local Tesco and Aldi supermarkets.