HRH The Prince of Wales raised a glass to a thriving village pub when he popped in to meet the residents of Llanddewi Brefi as part of his 12th annual summer visit to Wales on Friday.

Villagers greeted the Prince like an old friend when he called round to see how his ‘Pub is the Hub’ initiative was supporting The New Inn.

President of’ The Pub is the Hub, the Prince met members of some of the local groups who meet at pub, including the book exchange, the Young Farmers, the darts team and the arts group.

And, as proud landlady Yvonne Edwards blinked back tears, the Prince surprised onlookers by paying an impromptu tribute to a traditional pub which, he said, was indeed the very hub of the local community.

“It’s been an honour to have been involved with The Pub is the Hub initiative for the past 15 years,” he said. “John Longden (chief executive) and his team are trying to staunch the haemorrhage of so many rural­ pub closures right across the country.

“The village local forms such a traditional part of rural­ life, particularly with the loss of so village shops and other services that we are now seeing.

“It is wonderful that pubs such as The New Inn have kept going while offering these extra community services and I’m thrilled that so many others seem to want to join up with this scheme.

“It’s so important to have that personal contact to maintain the sort of community spirit which is so strong here in Wales.”

See this week’s south editions for the full story and more pictures from the Prince’s visit, in shops and online now