"It is a lovely place to enjoy a pint. The whole thing is great." That's from Trevor Clarke, a resident at Trenewydd care home in Brecon. No, he hasn't gone to the pub next door, because his local pub is now a room away.
Care staff have banded together to open their very own pub so that residents can have a place to relax and unwind. "The room was previously a sensory room but the residents rarely used it. Our Deputy Manager Tina Price mentioned that she would like it to be somewhere for the residents to go and relax for a time out and the idea of a bar was born. Within 48 hours there was a fireplace and up-cycled bar in place." Rebecca Lloyd the Activities Champion for Trenewydd said. "Our maintenance man, Jon, put a lot of work into preparing the room and the staff all chipped in."
The makeshift public house has been kitted out with traditional bar fixtures donated from local pubs, including a pump 'for effect'. "We were blown away by the generosity. Everything from paper bar mats, towels, drip trays and ice boxes. The pubs that donated were the Red Lion Sennybridge, the Sarah Siddons, the Rourke's Drift, the Tap, the Clarence, the Gremlin, the Three Horse Shoes in Llanfaes, and the Market Tavern. Meadow Makes also donated us door signs and a personalised staff t-shirt. Robert Price and his young son, Theo, helped turn an old chest of drawers into the main bar unit."
Residents can also order table service at dinner. The pub was opened by Councillors Mathew Dorrance and David Meredith, and residents are said to be 'over the moon' that they have a place to socialise.