Exciting News – We are very pleased to announce that we have been awarded £244,000 through the Community Ownership Fund to go ahead with the community purchase of the Cross Inn, Hayscastle Cross.
It’s the community news story of the year that just gets better. The intrepid volunteers from Hayscastle Cross who recently pulled all the stops out to raise over £210,000 to save their beloved local pub from closure, have now been awarded a grant of £244,250 from the UK Community Ownership Fund to allow the pub to pass into the ownership of the community itself.
One of 6 Community based projects in Wales to receive the vital injection of funding, the team are absolutely delighted.
Y Cross Cas-lai Community Benefit Society Ltd Chairman, Geraint Evans, expressed his profound gratitude, stating, “this wonderful grant makes it possible for us to create the pub and community hub we dreamed of creating. We are very grateful to receive this incredible funding boost. It’s also a massive thank you to all our friends, families, local residents, and numerous businesses, including the current owners, who continue to put in so much time, effort and goodwill to make this all happen.”
Of the small team of local volunteers who pulled all the elements of the funding application together, Evans had a very special thank you “you told our story and set out our mission in your own words and that passion and commitment clearly shone through in the application, thank you”.
And in one final thank you for the Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire. Geraint said “he’s been with us all the way, lending real tangible support”. Geraint was clear that putting vital assets back into community ownership is the kind of levelling up politics that really matters in these turbulent economic times. Crabb even wrote to Rt Hon. Michael Gove, endorsing the bid and highlighted the shared values between Y Cross Cas-lai Benefit Society Ltd. and the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund, which aims to “safeguard the small, but much-loved local assets on which we cannot put a price.”
How to Help
Whilst the initial share offer has closed and we have not obtained our required grant funding to purchase the pub, it is still possible to apply to purchase shares. If you have already invested, you can still purchase additional shares at a cost of £50 each. For further information about how to apply for shares or to make a donation, please visit the How to Help page on our website.
In order to ensure the Community Hub is a success, it is vital that we recruit a large pool of volunteers with a wide range of skills. If you would like to get involved in something to really make a difference in your community and also to meet some new friends please contact us on enquiries@ycrossinn.cymru
Business Plan
A review of the Business Plan and other key documents is currently taking place to ensure that the aims, objectives and deliverables meet current stakeholder expectations.
Community Engagement
We feel it is very important that we engage with key stakeholders to ensure we provide a pub and community hub which meets the needs of the community and wider service users. In order to assist us, please can you complete the survey which is being distributed. Copies are also available from the pub. We will also be undertaking a number of listening groups within the community as well as having a suggestions box (the letter box formerly used for the shares, which is attached to the outside of the pub).
Once the survey has been completed, the business plan has been finalised and we have the outcome of the Community Ownership Fund, we will arrange another public meeting to update everyone and provide a further opportunity to ask questions and obtain answers.
Upcoming Events
We have arranged more events to enable us to continue to engage with the community and to raise further funds to assist with the purchase of the pub.
- Saturday 8Th July, 11am – 4pm, Vintage World Tractor Exhibition at Walterston Farm, Hayscastle, SA62 5HT, courtesy of the Dixon family.
- Saturday 15th July, 2pm, Afternoon Tea at Hayscastle Community Centre. Best hat competition! Tickets £10 each.
- Sunday 13th August, 7pm, Y Cross Cas-lai Community Celebration at Hayscastle Show Field. Join us to celebrate our community with food and entertainment. Tickets £15 available from Kathryn Wilkins (01348 840358) or Geraint Evans (07870 876605).
The full committee would like to thank everyone for your continued support.