Hollywood actor, Matthew Rhys, was recently seen at a historic pub in Gwynedd that he's helping to save. The Glan yr Afon in the village of Pennal, near Machynlleth, has been at the heart of the community for many years.
But after the current owners, who took over in 2010, announced their decision to sell the pub, the people of Pennal decided to come together in a bid to save it and bring it into the ownership of the community. The project attracted the attention of Mr Rhys, star of hit TV shows The Americans and Brothers & Sisters, whose father grew up in the community.
When talking about his visit to the pub, the Cardiff-born actor said: "It was great visiting the pub recently and seeing first hand all the great work they have been doing to keep this historic pub and local community hub alive. Owain Glyndŵr himself would be proud of the community fighting spirit shown so far, so I would urge people from all over the world to get involved and invest in a little part of history.” You can get more local news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The village of Pennal played a key part in Welsh history when in the 15th century the then Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndŵr, reached out for help to the King of France, Charles VI, for military aid during his rebellion against the English. The letter that Owain sent six centuries ago is known as the Pennal Letter, and the original copy is currently held at the Archives Nationales in Paris.
Matthew, alongside the community leaders in Pennal, are now calling for one final push from supporters across the globe to join their share scheme as they seek to hit the target. The project is seeking to place itself at the heart of their rural Wales community, with plans including not only continuing as a pub and restaurant, but also incorporating a café, shop and later developing the rooms upstairs for quality accommodation.
With Christmas approaching, chairman of the management committee, Meirion Roberts, is calling on people to consider buying loved ones shares as a very special present.
"With people looking for ideas for Christmas presents at this time of year, buying shares in the venture would give loved ones ownership of a little slice of history, while being quite an unusual gift that offers the chance of future dividends. Over the summer months the Pennal community came together and while we’re still not quite there, there is certainly light at the end of the tunnel and the future is looking brighter. We want to thank everyone who has signed up to the community share agreement so far and a big thank you to Matthew Rhys for his support. It’s been a great boost for the community after all their hard work."
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