It might look like your usual village pub, but the Radnor Arms in the village of New Radnor hasn’t been thriving with activity for quite some time.

In 2016, the pub closed its doors, the last pub in the historic village to do so. It prompted a rallying cry from those in the local community to get the doors open again, and it has been a long road to get there.

Now, almost 10 years later, the pub is slowly getting back on its feet again.

A local resident said: “This is tremendous. There’s a terrific crowd here. Once they get it all going it’s going to be fantastic. I was here on the sad night when it closed, but seeing it revitalised like this is great.”

In 2023, after much work, the community submitted an application for a Community Ownership Fund Grant, in the hopes of raising enough money to buy the pub and start the necessary work to restore it to its former glory.

In June, they were awarded a grant of £240,000, with the help of the then MP for Brecon and Radnorshire Fay Jones.

The race was on for the community to match fund pound for pound to be able to access the grant, with a share offer launched for those in the community to pledge their support to get the Radnor Arms open again.

In July of 2024, the community succeeded in purchasing the pub, making it community owned.

Since purchase, the community has wasted no time in getting the Radnor Arms ready. They have employed local trades people to refurbish the inside, get a bar open, and hosted pop in events to show the community that the Radnor Arms is back open for business, the latest event showcasing the work that has been achieved, and potentially their last pop in event before they open on a regular basis.

Since securing the necessary funds to purchase the Radnor Arms, there has of course been a general election, with then MP Fay Jones losing her seat to David Chadwick, who was invited to the recent event to see the progress of the pub’s development since he last visited.

Speaking to the Brecon and Radnor Express, David Chadwick, MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, congratulated the hard work of the community, and pledged his support for further developments.

“I came here two years ago for the first time when it was a derelict building - now it’s filled with people with good spirit and good joy,” he said.

“Hopefully the success of this pub will lead to other people deciding to do the same in their villages, too. We also shouldn’t forget that hospitality is in a very difficult place at the moment, and we need to be doing everything we can to support our hospitality businesses.

“I’ll be doing everything I can to help them with grants and talk with potential suppliers.”

At the event, Mr Chadwick pulled a pint, later saying: “I’ve pulled a few pints in my time, cider and beer. My mum taught me how. My mum used to run the Jolly Sailor in Porthcawl, so hopefully I did her slightly proud.”

The Radnor Arms will officially be trading for 2.5 days a week, once their license is in place. This will be ran by a brilliant team of volunteers serving on Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday midday, and will bring back an old village tradition - picking up a Sunday paper and a pint.