Community group celebrates purchase of chapel to become high street hub

A community is celebrating the purchase of a chapel after successfully raising £150,000, and moving ahead with plans to convert the site and surrounding heritage buildings into a community and cultural hub.

The Hwb Aberteifi project was launched on the first of March 2025 with the aim of raising money from local residents of Cardigan and the wider area to buy the old Tabernacl Chapel that closed in 2022.

With the funding secured and the legal matters resolved, the completion of the purchase took place at midday on Friday the 25 of July.

Public event

The first public meeting to progress the community purchase of the old Tabernacl Chapel in Cardigan was held on Saturday, 8th of March 2025.

The response to the call to create a new high-street-located Community and Cultural Hub called “Hwb Aberteifi” was met with strong support. A voluntary committee has been working for the last four months to raise funds and progress legal agreements to buy the heritage buildings at the chapel site.

Following the purchase completion, a public event took place on Saturday 26 July at 9am to officially reopen the doors of the chapel for community use. A band of volunteers bought cleaning tools and bags to clear the overgrown areas in front of and behind the chapel.

During previous meetings, members of the public were told of the aspirations of the Hwb Aberteifi project to become a high street location for community activities, training and a cultural centre to house the literary works and legacy of local bard, Dic Jones.

There is also a plan to open a community recording studio at the site and have Fflach Cymunedol Ltd, the community-owned recording studio and music label, relocated back to the vestry of the chapel where the label started over 40 years ago.

The community recording label raised £72,000 in a share offer at the beginning of the year to expand their project at the Hwb site once the chapel was purchased.

‘Outstanding’

Cris Tomos, PLANED community development charity, noted that the £150,000 target was quickly reached and that a new community benefit society cooperative has been formed called Hwb-Aberteifi Cyf.

Cris added: “The reaction by the community has been outstanding, and the key now will be to quickly make good the roof and services to the buildings and start on a renovation and upgrading of the site to offer community space for the various projects within the building.”

The doors of the chapel were reopened by the minister who undertook the final service at the Chapel, Rev. Llinos Mai Gordon. She was handed the keys and the doors were once again opened to the community at 9am on Saturday, the 26th of July.

Public meetings will now be held and the local people invited to form part of this exciting community project to start using the Vestry and the 500-seater chapel for public benefit.

The above information is available within a comprehensive business model and financing schedule available via the project website.