“I love the little guy who won’t sit down and keeps getting back up, and I suppose there is an argument to say that’s us.”

Those were the words of Will Forster, who is currently one month into his tenure as the chairman of the committee for The Farmers Arms in Cwmdu.

While this appears to the casual onlooker as any other charming rural pub - the rustic exterior and local bitter and lager hides the true magic of the place that has captured the imagination of the locals.

This magic, is in fact, the odd quirk that the pub is locally owned by the members of Cwmdu village community that have been attending the pub for years.

The pub faced closure in 2018 when its previous landlord wanted to sell the building - with eyes to turning it into a more profitable business venture - such as housing.

Yet, the people of Cwmdu banded together, determined to stand up to the establishment and keep their beloved pub - in a William Wallace-esque stand.

The shareholders now rent out the pub to tenants, who can take control of the business and put their spin on things.

Will said: “The reality is Cwmdu is a strong community, the village as such, has lost a lot of things over the years like the village school going.

“So, when there was a risk that the pub was going the community was quite upset.

“It’s a focal point for the area and is where people meet up, so in 2018 the village organised quickly the money to go and buy it.

“People put not only money but time and effort and thought into the acquisition.

“I think Cwmdu just thought enough was enough, we can do something about it and we stepped up to the challenge and bought it.”

However, ultimately 2018 was a tough year to venture into the business world - with the COVID-19 pandemic on the horizon in a little over 12 months - it was a tumultuous time for the pub to flourish.

But how did the Cwmdu pub survive when so many small businesses failed during the pandemic?

“Our priority was to make sure this pub stayed open and can continue to serve great food and great drink.”

Expectations of dividends were put on hold because the community pushed to keep this pub open.

“As landlords, we are soft in that respect, our priority is to maintain the pub in the community,” said Will.

But The Farmers Arms will now be facing its latest challenge, as the cost-of-living crisis heightens under the Liz Truss regime.

However, Will remains optimistic that their unique business structure coupled with their business field will allow them to survive the tough times ahead.

“There are challenging times ahead for the country as a whole, but when times are bad people do like a beer.

“I think there is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, but this is the right kind of business to be in.

“I think the way we work gives us an advantage, there is a lot of commercial pressure on some landlords who have to report to anonymous shareholders.

“We aren’t trying to make money for shareholders with premium price beers, we just want the pub to run.

“That is our real differentiator, we aren’t part of that big corporate sphere, our community shareholders’ priority is for the pub to survive,” said Will.

The 61-year-old went further, claiming that the above reasons make The Farmers Arms the perfect place for a prospective business entrepreneur should they want to run a pub.

This comes as the pub now hunts for a new tenant for 2023.

If you wish to contact The Farmers Arms regarding a tenancy agreement, contact them on 07734 325569.