St Sulien's Church in Silian will not be a community hub

St Sulien’s Church in Silian – which has been in the community since the medieval period but was reconstructed in 1873 - has not been in use since 2020 and is currently owned by the Church in Wales.

Members of the community wanted to save the building and turn it into a community hub so they set up a not-for-profit organisation called Menter Silian.

The plan was to turn the building into a much-needed community hub, as currently there is no space for groups or people to meet.

A feasibility study was carried out with support from Cynnal y Cardi and the Architectural Heritage Fund. This led to the production of a business plan and showed that it would be viable to repair and renovate the church to then run as a community hub.

There were plans to turn the church into a community hub (Image: Menter Silian)

Last summer, the Church in Wales’ property services asked Menter Silian to commit to signing a lease by September. “This would make us responsible for maintaining and running the building, as well as undertaking a programme of repairs,” said Menter Silian secretary Nikki Vousden.

“We were told that if we did not agree to the lease the building would be sold on the open market.”

The group held talks with Church in Wales but found that the terms of the lease would contain a number of conditions and restrictions which Menter Silian would not be able to take on.

Nikki said that at present the building cannot be used due to its condition and needs extensive repairs including a new floor and that Menter Silian would be tied into paying for the utilities and day to day maintenance of a building that they cannot yet use.

“We are only a small community and just cannot see ourselves being able to generate that sort of income as well as raising the large amounts of grant funding needed to repair and renovate the building.

“We are deeply saddened to have had to make this decision, as we have put an absolutely huge amount of work into the project. It is truly heart-wrenching to lose the building – not only have we lost a community space, we are losing a really important piece of our heritage.”

Menter Silian were unable to sign the lease. (Image: Menter Silian)

Councillor Eryl Evans, Ceredigion County Council’s member for Llangybi ward which includes Silian, said: “It is unfortunate that the opportunity to have our own community hub within the village has come at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is hitting hard. Combined with a number of caveats listed by the CiW, the proposed lease agreement in its current form would be an unsuitable financial burden on the community.

“The church was reconstructed in 1873 and it is poignant that this is the year we should have been celebrating 150 years.

“Generations of families have accessed the church and grounds for the purpose of worship, community events or quiet reflection and for decades this has been an integral part of village life and consequently the community feels a strong sense of ownership for this building. The newly padlocked door serves as a harsh reminder that the community no longer has access to this facility.”

The church contains a number of medieval artefacts and war memorials and Menter Silian is in contact with the Church in Wales and Cadw to ensure that these stay in the village.