A community group in Cardigan is celebrating, after completing the purchase of the Tabernacl Chapel to turn it in to a high street community hub.

The Hwb Aberteifi project was launched on 1 March 2025 with the sole aim of raising many from the local residents of Cardigan and the wider area to buy the old Tabernacl Chapel. The chapel closed down in 2022.

The first public meeting to progress the community purchase of the old Tabernacl Chapel in Cardigan was held on Saturday, 8 March, and the response to the call for action to create a new high street located community and cultural Hub called Hwb Aberteifi – Tabernacl was excellent.

The committee of volunteers has been working hard to raise

the £150,000 target and to progress the legal agreements to buy the heritage buildings at the chapel site.

With the funding secured and the legal matters resolved, the

completion of the purchase took place at midday on Friday, 25 July.

A public event then took place on Saturday, 26 July, at 9am, to officially reopen the doors of the chapel for the use of the community.

A band of volunteers bought cleaning up tools and bags to clear the overgrown areas in front and behind the chapel.

During previous meetings, the 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 the local bard Dic Jones. All of this information is available within a comprehensive business model and financing schedule available via the project website.

There is also a plan to have 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.

Cris Tomos, from the 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, 26 July.

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