Village innovation comes in for praise

Montgomeryshire MP, Glyn Davies, has praised the residents of Llanfechain at the launch of its new community shop, which is the final part of a £400,000 project that will rejuvenate the village.

Home to just over 600 residents, the village has proven to be at the leading edge of rural change by demonstrating how community spirit can overcome the drastic modern day economic challenges.

The shop, which will be manned by volunteers, will also incorporate Post Office facilities while the overall facility will function as a café, tourist information centre as well as provide IT facilities. The extension to the hall houses a new kitchen, new toilets, new small meeting room and the dedicated space for the community shop.

Mr. Davies officially opened the shop this weekend, calling it a “wonderful achievement” that brings services back to the village that were missing for nine years.

“It’s a wonderful achievement to complete such a comprehensive renovation of its Village Hall, and even more impressive to fit out and stock a community shop which is now open every day, and is manned wholly be volunteers,” said Mr. Davies. “The new shop has returned services to Llanfechain which have been absent for nine years, and has created a social hub at the centre of the community.

“We are all facing a difficult period in the UK, where Government simply does not have the money to maintain rural services in the way we have been used to. Volunteering is going to play an increasingly important role in delivering rural services, and the people of Llanfechain have provided a great example. Being asked to perform the opening ceremony was a huge pleasure for me.”

The project took just three years to bring to life and received funding from a variety of sources with the main backing coming from the Big Lottery (£244,000) and the Welsh Assembly Government's Community Facilities and Activities Programme (£96,000).

The post office has operated out of the kitchen of the hall for the last 20 years and is currently open one day a week. The management committee also secured a £20,480 grant from the Post Office Diversification Fund to fit out the new post office and shop.