The Prince of Wales, President of the National Trust, visited the village of Cwmdu in Carmarthenshire on Friday 23 October.
The pub, shop and post office in the village are kept open thanks to a unique partnership between us and local people.
The Prince met local residents and saw how income from our holiday cottages is used to fund essential community facilities.
During his visit he enjoyed entertainment from the local school children and tasted some locally brewed beer at the Cwmdu Inn. This was the first royal visit to Cwmdu.
Paul Faulkner, our property manager for Carmarthenshire, explains:
'Cymdeithas Cwmdu was formed as a voluntary group in 2000, in response to a real risk that the village shop, post office and pub would shut.
'These buildings and facilities are the only meeting place in the village and perform a vital social function for everyone and all ages in what is otherwise a small remote rural community.'
Income from the three holiday cottages is used to support the community and keep the facilities open.
Cymdeithas Cwmdu is the 'umbrella' for the various groups, clubs and societies that meet in the pub, raising funds to pay the annual insurance premium for events and various projects and activities.
The members organise a full programme of events throughout the year, including a St David's Day celebration, a fund-raising toy boat race on the stream, a summer fête in the adjoining field, an apple day and Christmas events, as well as community food evenings, fun quizzes, games evenings, talks and other miscellaneous activities.
We acquired the rundown terrace in 1991 and sympathetically restored it - Cwmdu is a good example of a hamlet in the heartland of Welsh-speaking rural Wales, surrounded by beautiful countryside, and is therefore particularly significant in the Welsh context.
The village is also a good example of a social enterprise where a business is driven by social objectives.
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