Matthew Rhys: Hollywood star supports mid Wales pub campaign – The National Wales

Hollywood star Matthew Rhys has given his support to a campaign in mid Wales for the community to buy their local pub.
The Grade II listed Glan yr Afon pub in Pennal near Machynlleth is being put up for sale by the current owners, and locals have launched a campaign to bring it into community ownership in order to re-develop it for their current and future needs.
In the fifteenth century Owain Glyndŵr sent his famous Pennal letter from the village to King Charles VI of France asking for military aid to support his campaign against the English crown.
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The letter, penned in Latin, is currently held by the Archives Nationales in Paris.
Locals are once again asking for help from further afield to help them reach the expected purchase price of £450,000, and have so far enlisted the help of ‘The Americans’ and ‘Perry Mason’ star Matthew Rhys.
Rhys, who now lives in New York said: “I have strong personal ties with the Pennal area and believe that this venture is hugely important in helping to safeguard the community’s future.
“It is wonderful to see people taking responsibility and ownership for their communities in these challenging times and I wish them well in their endeavours. If you can support please do so, and the spirit of Owain Glyndŵr will continue to be felt in the area.”
The beer garden at the Glan yr Afon in Pennal (Image: Menter y Glan).
Community group Menter y Glan hopes to develop the current offering provided by the building, as Meirion Roberts, chairman of the management committee explains: “We are part of a small but vibrant community here in Pennal and we are aiming to secure the future of that community by launching a campaign to safeguard the Glan yr Afon building.
READ MORE: The Pennal Letter written by Owain Glyndŵr in 1406
“As well as continuing with the business as a hospitality location we also want to develop it further to offer community facilities such as a shop and a café, and later develop the rooms upstairs to quality accommodation. In a rural area such as this and with fuel costs spiralling, offering these kind of services for people on their doorstep will potentially alleviate some of those concerns as well as helping with the climate change crisis.”
Menter y Glan is hoping to qualify for grant funding and has also launched its community share scheme to offer people the opportunity to invest and profit from annual dividends in years to come.
More information can be found on Menter y Glan’s website.
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