Nefyn is a small town on the north coast of the Llyn Peninsula in Wales. In 2016 its only pub The Sportsman closed. This was accompanied by many of the independent shops and three bank branches shutting in the town. Locals decided to fight back and as Covid ended it re-opened as a community pub Yr Heliwr in July 2021.
The town of Nefyn is blessed with lovely beaches stunning coastal scenery and has a library and thriving school. The number 8 bus runs to Pwllheli where the scenic coastal railway can take you back to London in about six hours.
Nick and Michael from the Antwerp Committee decided to visit and stay in the community pub’s rooms whilst walking sections of the coastal footpath walk, known as the Pilgrim’s Way, to Bardsey Island. In medieval times walking this route three times as a pilgrim was equivalent to going on pilgrimage to Rome. The route is incredibly picturesque and dotted with ancient churches where the pilgrims rested up.
Pub refurbishment was thorough and the pub has two main drinking spaces, a large back area where events can take place and a front bar with ample bar stools. There is a wood burner in the front area. The pub has really nice loos and a small but fully functioning kitchen area. The refurbishment costs along with the purchase of the freehold came to over £600,000 with funds being raised by share issue and grants from various sources. As with the Antwerp, work from local artists adorns the wall and they sell a nice range of merchandise featuring the three herrings. These fish are the symbol of Nefyn and reflect its past as a fishing port.
We met members of the Yr Heliwr committee Rhodri, Helen and co to exchange experiences of running a community pub. Yr Heliwr’s financial model is different as the rooms above provide a consistent income from guests so take pressure off the need to maximise sales of drinks and food at the bar. The rooms are comfortable and clean and not too expensive so there is a high occupancy rate.
Like the Antwerp, beers are sourced locally and the local craft brewery in Nefyn, Cwrw Lynn Cwrw Lynn provides some great beers for the pub. We had Porth Neigl IPA and Seithynyn a blond beer. Also on the menu is Nokota from Llandudno a refreshing 3.8% session ale and Geipel (probably our favourite) which was an alpine style lager brewed in Snowdonia. The pub opens slightly earlier than the Antwerp and is a seven day a week affair. There is a happy hour from 4 – 6 which includes a well thought out range of wines and local spirits like Welsh whisky and gins. Ali, the head bar manager, is knowledgeable and friendly and happy to guide you through what’s on offer. He told us his brother was a regular at the Antwerp!
We also share the same issues with Yr Heliwr on food. We both want to provide a food offering but find its challenging. Yr Heliwr’s food offering is made by a local cook and available Thursdays to Saturdays. When we were there, two types of curry, a pizza, a burger, beef stroganoff and a veggy option were available. We both tried a different curry each and they were great! Food sales have never been enough to justify food offering in the early part of the week. Paninis and other sandwich options are available at lunch times.
Like the Antwerp, there are bands booked at weekends which aim to promote bands performing in Welsh. There is a folk night on Wednesdays and craft activities on Tuesdays. The fabric-hanging below was made by local children.
The pub doesn’t provide a free community meal to locals in need, but runs other community events to improve health and well-being and combat loneliness.
All in all Yr Heliwr is a great example of how community action can bring a valued local back to life. With its dual stream income from the pub and rooms, plus the solid community support we saw, it seems to have an assured future. We’d recommend it for a short break in a beautiful part of the world.