Work has begun to develop an old chapel in Hermon, Pembrokeshire, into a heritage centre, café, and affordable flats, thanks to the efforts of local people and the help of the Welsh Government’s Project Perthyn grant.
The community are now on the verge of purchasing the old chapel building and CarTrefUn began the project of developing the site for the benefit of the community.
With £21,000 financial support from the Welsh Government, CarTrefUn has been able to appoint project officers, create architectural plans and site surveys to develop the new centre.
The funding was awarded through the Perthyn Small Grants scheme. The grant aims to help create economic opportunities, provide affordable housing led by the community, by supporting Welsh-speaking communities with a high density of second homes. Over 20 groups have already benefitted from the scheme.
The local Perthyn Project coordinator Cris Tomos of PLANED said:
“It is so important that local communities have a chance to retain and use local assets for community initiatives such as the scheme at the old chapel in Hermon and to ensure community assets are retain for future generations”
The Minister for Education and Welsh Language Jeremy Miles said:
“When a chapel closes, it often means that an important community centre is lost. It’s great to be able to support this exciting initiative and ensure that there will be opportunities for people to live and socialise in Welsh. Creating affordable housing makes a huge difference to the sustainability of our Welsh-speaking communities.”
