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Community group needs just £51,000 more to purchase historic Welsh shop

04 Nov 2022 3 minute read
Siop Havards Gymunedol Tydrath.

A community group which recently launched a share offer to purchase a traditional ironmongers shop which has operated from the same site since 1881, is just over £50,000 short of reaching its goal.

Havards, in in Newport, Pembrokeshire, provides a wide range of everyday items including hand tools, nails and screws, key cutting, cookware and crockery, gardening equipment, outdoor clothing, walking boots and wet suits.

The fund-raising organisers, Siop Havards Gymunedol Tydrath/SHGT aim to raise sufficient funds to buy the shop to save the historic institution for the community and also help preserve the character and self-sufficiency of the town.

If the share offer is successful, Havards will operate as a cooperative community shop, owned by the members for the benefit of the community and future generations.

A total of £475,000 is needed to buy the shop and all money raised will be used to buy the building and the shop’s stock as well as to provide set-up funds and working capital.

The committee and supporters of Havards Community Share Offer have raised an amazing £415,000 to date, with a goal to raise the final £60,000 needed. in just four weeks.

The committee volunteers are re-opening the share offer to all existing and new shareholders and aim to raise the final £60,000 in just four weeks.

Within a few days of the relaunch of the community share offer the committee has now received an additional £9,000 towards the £60,000 target by the end of November.

Everyone who is already a member/shareholder can add to their existing holding, with up to 4% interest from year 3 after the community-owned Havards starts trading. 

As the project has raised £415,000 so far, the maximum shareholding by any one individual has now increased to £41,500, with new shareholders welcomed. 

‘Last push’

Committee chair Clive Hooper said “If every current member bought an additional £200 then our £60,000 target is achieved. However not everyone can be expected to stretch their finances to that amount, whilst others have the resources to do more, so our request is please help this last push with whatever your circumstances can support.”

Clive added: “We had expected to hear the outcome of our application for the UK Community Ownership Fund late last week, but, given the current turmoil in Westminster, and the uncertainty of departmental budgets, I approached the relevant government department (BEIS) in an attempt to clarify the situation.

“We now have established that there is potentially at least up to a two-month delay in making any decision on the COF funds.”

 


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