SIX years after they feared last orders had been called for the final time, locals are raising a glass to hopefully having their pub back open by Christmas.

People in the tiny village of New Radnor hope to have the beer flowing at the Radnor Arms Hotel again after uniting to bring their boozer back to life.

The pub closed in 2016 and has fallen into a dilapidated state, leading locals to form community enterprise ‘The Hub’ in 2018, opening the Old School Building in the village sporadically for food and drink, and social events – which will continue even after the new deal.

Now, the Radnor Arms Action Group has bought the pub for £115,000, and hopes the pub will turn the village centre back into a vibrant place to be.

“The village is delighted to have the opportunity now to reinstate its pub,” said Ruth Watson, a founding committee member who also runs the community hub.

“We have a strong 15-plus committee including local tradesfolk and we intend to make a start on refurbing as soon as possible. We would like to have a bar open at the Radnor by Christmas, if not before.”

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The group announced its successful purchase last Thursday at the Harp Inn, in nearby Old Radnor.

“I was very touched by the turn-out of support at the auction on Thursday and the spontaneous round of applause and cheers after the hammer finally went down,” said Ruth.

“The Radnor Arms Action Group was formed in 2016, about three months before the pub actually closed. We could see the end coming and we wanted to capture a snapshot of a thriving pub, despite the dilapidated state of the building, before the business inevitably closed.

“The building had been under-invested for many years and was in a poor state. We kept a register of customers and gathered letters of support from user groups, with a view to blocking prospective change of use.”

The pub was closed in the spring of 2016 by a Powys County Council environmental health order.

But rather than cry into their pint glasses, passionate locals were thirsty to keep their beloved local watering hole alive and set about trying to take it over.

First, they produced a report and called a meeting attended by around 80 people, at which they persuaded the owner, who lived in Worcester, to outline his plans.

When residents in the adjoining property were eventually forced to take the owner to court over repair costs due to the state of the building, the pub's sale was forced.

The local community has been utterly relentless in its fight. The group petitioned the Welsh Government in 2017, asking to adopt measures which allow communities to declare assets of community value and help protect them.

A petition of close to 300 signatures was presented to then-Assembly Member Kirsty Williams.

A year later they raised £1,000 for a valuation to be completed with a view to purchasing – but an offer they made to the owner based on that was turned down.

In 2018 they also sought an alternative venue for villagers to enjoy a drink, contacting the management of the Old School Building, which had recently became vacant, with a view to taking it over.

“Following a certain amount of resistance, we persuaded the committee to give it a trial period,” added Ruth.

“The Hub has been run successfully on a voluntary basis since, opening on Friday nights, offering food and a bar, and also for various village and music events. We expect it to continue after the pub opens and anticipate that the two will complement each other.

“In July this year we were informed the pub would be auctioned in October, so we hurriedly finished our business plan for the purchase and refurbishment of the pub," added Ruth.

"We called a village meeting to present our plan and launched a pledge appeal for funds. The figure now stands at around £120,000.

“We will be making applications to the National Lottery Community Fund and the government-run Community Ownership Fund among others.”

The group has established a community benefit society, which will own and manage the business, having received help and business advice from the Plunkett Foundation.

The group has now established a community benefit society called Radnor Arms Ltd, which will own and manage the business, having received help and business advice from the Plunkett Foundation.

A prospectus will be prepared offering an opportunity for more investors to come forward as they hope to take pledges beyond £120,000.

More information about the pub and the group’s ambitions are available on their website, at http://www.radnor-arms.org, while plans to broaden the fundraising efforts with a JustGiving crowdfunding campaign are also in the pipeline.