Cefin Campbell MS Mid & West Wales

A local community's efforts to purchase a village pub in Crymych, Pembrokeshire, have been praised in the Senedd by a local Plaid Cymru politician, who has called on the Welsh Government to do more to support community-owned businesses.  

Speaking in the Senedd during First Minister’s Questions on Tuesday, Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru’s Senedd Member for Mid and West congratulated volunteers for raising over £200,000 to buy the Crymych Arms Pub – which ceased operations in September 2021.  

The Crymych Arms Community Pub group is aiming to complete its fundraising and purchase the pub by August – allowing it to reopen it as a traditional rural pub that will also serve as the clubhouse for Crymych Football Club. 

Mr Campbell commended the community’s vision and drive, and noted how fundraisers in Crymych are in following in the footsteps of other successful community ventures in Pembrokeshire, which include Tafarn Sinc in Rosebush, the White Hart in St Dogmaels and Havards Ironmongers in Newport. The latter was recently purchased by locals following a community share offer that raised an incredible £445,000.  

In the Senedd, Mr Campbell challenged the First Minister to provide greater support to communities seeking to purchase vital community assets including pubs and shops.  

In particular, he cited a recent report by the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee that called on the Welsh Government to introduce a range of supportive measures – including a ‘community right to buy’ as currently exists in Scotland.  

Commenting following his question in the Senedd, Cefin Campbell MS added: 

“I am truly in awe of the Crymych community’s hard work in raising over £200,000 to purchase the local pub and wish them well as they approach the target. 

From community-owned pubs like Tafarn Sinc and the White Hart, to the recent success of the purchase of Havards Ironmongers through a community share offer, there’s no denying that Pembrokeshire is a flagship example of how communities can pull together and succeed in safeguarding local amenities.  

Despite these successes, I continue to feel the Welsh Government should be providing greater support and encouragement to communities to allow them to achieve such successes – including through replicating Scotland’s ‘community right to buy’.” 

In response to Mr Campbell’s question, First Minister, Mark Drakeford MS said: 

“We recognise, as a Government, the importance of supporting local people when they do come together to make that effort to buy assets, like the people of Crymych have done already.  

This is part of the work that the Minister is doing, and I'm sure that when there is an update to give to Senedd, there will be an opportunity to do that.”