Fundraiser aims to stop sale of historic church as second home

Campaigners are fundraising to buy a historic church to stop it from being sold as a second home.

Auction House UK had advertised the property in Pistyll on the Llŷn peninsula as a “holiday home” and drawn attention to its seaside position.

“Full planning consent has been granted for a unique four bedroom holiday unit with generous amenity space to the side and rear along with off-road parking,” the auction website says.

Just look at the position of this unconverted former chapel in northwest #Wales on the #coast near #Pwllheli. Up for #auction with @AuctionHouseSW on 24 March. Register now to bid on a rare find. #Planning in place for a 4 bed holiday home https://t.co/n0S6Xh4WhD pic.twitter.com/gO7oxlmlag

— Auction House UK (@auctionhouseuk) March 13, 2021

Campaigners said that the historic building should be in public hands and have so far raised £2,000 of a £120,000 target towards the cause through the GoFundMe site

The chapel includes a memorial to the poet and preacher Tom ‘Nefyn’ Williams.

‘Spirit’

“We believe that this important chapel must be saved for the community, for the benefit of the local community and the Welsh nation, and to protect our cultural and social heritage,” petition organiser Osian Jones said.

“We believe that this important building should be kept in the hands of the nation, and that seeing the conversion of Tom Nefyn’s old chapel to a holiday home, who worked all his life against oppression, and in favour of creating safe homes for Welsh workers, would be an insult on our country.

“The Pistyll area and north-west Wales face a very uncertain future, local residents are priced out of the housing market, to meet the greedy needs of those who want to buy houses and properties as holiday homes for personal use for just a few weeks of the year.

“We set out our commitment to rebuild, replant our communities, our country, our language, in the spirit of Tom Nefyn, and in a spirit of co-operation and cohabitation with our brothers and sisters in order to build fair and equal communities.

“If we as a fund succeed in our objectives, we will work closely with the local community, to establish co-operative, community ownership of this historic building.”