Operators of the Halfway in Tal-y-coed Monmouthshire, Rhiannon Metters and Jason James aim to support people within their farming community.
The site is located in a particularly isolated area and has a population of around 730 people, with limited services and no local shop or public transport options available.
Supporting social interaction
Many farmers in the community are also isolated and live and work alone.
Metters and James contacted Pub is The Hub for help and advice to tackle the lack of services and limited activities available for the community.
Expert help and a community services fund grant were both provided by Pub is the Hub in order to help with the opening of a village store and community marquee.
Pub is The Hub is a not-for-profit organisation and has helped to support a number of projects within rural areas across Wales after receiving a grant of £25,000 from The Royal Countryside Fund.
The Halfway has also launched a new village store inside an area of the pub, which stocks a variety of essentials such as bread, milk, cheese, bacon, honey and also ham.
The organisation has additional plans to eventually move the store into an outbuilding for more space and to also stock other products from local suppliers.
A new marquee has also been erected, this is being used as a community hub to support social interaction, foster community cohesion and promote general health and wellbeing.
The marquee will also be the centre of a range of community events, whilst being used as the base of a new local produce market.
The village store and marquee is set to support local businesses and the wider rural economy by providing an outlet for local farmers, producers, crafters and other enterprises.
The village shop will also be used to provide opportunities to create partnerships with schools and youth service providers, in order to ensure young people are educated about local produce.
Supporting local people
This should ultimately help to reduce carbon footprint and help the shop to support the surrounding rural economy.
The Halfway has been using a craft box, which was supplied by Pub is The Hub in partnership with the charity Creative Lives. This is designed to help engage local people in creative activities.
Metters has been using the craft box to help engage more families with the pub and help to support younger visitors.
The boxes feature basic drawing tools including paper, pens, charcoal and pastels, watercolour and acrylic paints.
Metters added: “We are situated in an isolated rural community, with the pub being the social hub of the area.
“It is so important that we support local people ensuring they are not feeling isolated and alone. We are very passionate about making sure this is a pub for everyone in the area.”
She added: “The village store here in this isolated rural area is such a support for people in the local community with the marquee enabling us to run more community events supporting both local people and suppliers.”
Speaking on the power of shared activities, she continued: “The craft box offers a great way to encourage conversation over a shared activity. It’s helped me to further create a place where the community can come together and using creativity to do this works so well.”
Pub is The Hub regional advisor, Roger Belle added: “These publicans are the real heroes of this local community and have made the pub the hub of this rural village.”
She said: “Offering these services and activities to support people in this area of Wales is proving to be a lifeline to overcome social isolation and loneliness.”
