Open on Sunday afternoons and Bank Holiday Mondays (1.30 – 4.30pm until the end of September) for light refreshments, the group will also be operating boat trips from next month.

They are looking for volunteers who are interested in helping out with any aspect of the centre from making teas and coffee to helping launch a canoe – which will hopefully be available from the centre soon – as well as volunteering aboard the George Watson Buck narrowboat.

Volunteers will be free to offer their time as often or as little as they can over the summer.

Anyone interested in finding out more is encouraged to visit the centre between 2 – 4pm any Sunday for a chat and to find out what roles might be available.

The post Volunteer at Llanymynech Wharf appeared first on Pant Today - About the village of Pant in Shropshire.

We started by asking Duncan to explain how he’s currently reducing plastic in the shop.

“It is incredibly difficult to reduce plastic use when all of our food is entirely covered in it,” he said.

“But we are reducing where we can. Some brands have reduced plastic or cut plastic entirely, so we try and stock those where we can. We no longer sell baby wipes with plastic in them. We only stock cotton buds, disposable cutlery, cups, plates, pegs etc that are either wood or paper/card. We use paper bags for our fruit and vegetables, and for our hot pies. We have moved our homemade sandwich containers to biodegradable cardboard with cellulose film windows.”

And plans for future initiatives are no less ambitious, as Duncan explains: “We are switching (as it sells out) to cards and wrapping paper that are completely recyclable – so no glitter, no foil, no plastic.

“We already stock bird seed and bird food where you weigh it out yourself, rather than buy it ‘ready to go’ in plastic – so you can bring your own container to refill. I am also looking at refills for basic household commodities and foodstuffs.

“As an environmental factor, we no longer turn the lights on in our fridges and freezers, and any food that is unsold/at date is reduced or given away.

“We are exploring alternatives to padded envelopes and bubble wrap on the Post Office side, but some of the alternatives are cost-prohibitive for the customer so the search continues for alternatives. I believe we can all do our bit – however small.”

Many readers will know that Duncan is much more than a ‘local shopkeeper’ – with a passion for the local community.

“Llanymynech and Pant have always welcomed me,” he says.

“I love the sense of community here. I am heavily involved in the local community and try to get involved whenever I am free. (Keep your ears to the ground for some imminent events!). We have a diverse vibrant community, boosted in season by the multitude of tourists we have passing through.”

Duncan hasn’t always lived in Llanymynech although his roots are very much local. He grew up at Lake Vyrnwy so has always lived around here, apart from a brief spell after university in Lancaster, where he owned a pub.

12 years ago, after a serious spinal illness, which left him unable to walk properly and in and out of a wheelchair, he got a job at the shop where he worked for the previous owners for almost ten years.

When they decided to retire, and rather than see one of the last local independents fall to a chain, or close completely, he decided to take over and run it.

Since taking over, two years ago, it hasn’t been the easiest of rides.

“Almost as soon as I took over,” says Duncan “the post-COVID and post-Brexit effects hit quite badly, imports and exports were affected, the war in Ukraine started which triggered price rises across the board with ingredients, packaging, energy. And then the cost-of-living crisis hit like a ton of bricks and continues to bite.”

Duncan believes local stores can offer an affordable option for shopping, especially if you add bus fares, fuel or delivery chanrges into the cost of your shoppingfrom a big retailer.

“We spend a lot of time (an incredible amount of time) trying to source stock at an affordable price. For several years, stock availability has been an incredibly frustrating part of running a business. As more and more suppliers are bought up by big chains, independents have a very hard time competing. We try and keep prices as low as we can, although that is incredibly hard sometimes. We have made decisions on staffing to try and keep costs low – we have made changes to staff rotas to reduce costs where we can, and this sadly does mean that we mutually let one permanent contract go.”

“I know people must think shop owners must be rolling in it – but I can tell you that’s absolutely not the case. I don’t mind sharing that I forgo wages so as to keep my costs down as far as I can for customers, and keep my current workforce employed. It is a very difficult time, and we are often at the brunt of complaints about prices when it is often completely out of our hands – manufacturers, suppliers, delivery companies all have increased their prices – and there is nothing we can do about this.”

We asked Duncan about his hobbies and interests, when he has any spare time.

“I love gardening – I used to be a seasonal gardener at Powis Castle. I am currently in the process of redesigning my garden. I like spending time with my husband Paul, and our dog Phoebe.

“I don’t get much time off – I currently work around 60-70 hours a week – so we do try and go away if I do manage to get time off. I was seriously ill at the start of the year and we had to postpone our trip to Alaska which was booked about four years ago. Now I can fly, we are taking my Mother-in-Law away in September for a little holiday. I love spending time with family when I can.”

We asked Duncan what his involvement with the local community means to him.

“Community means everything. When a community comes together, it really works. It can be a safe, nurturing, accepting and wholesome place to live. Community means working together to solve problems, support each other and creating a safe and healthy environment for all. We have started a new initiative where we have asked local businesses and crafters to display and sell their work in the shop – for a very small fee. This is going incredibly well. And shows how we can all work together to diversify and support each other.”

Duncan wanted to put on record his thanks for the support of the community during his recent illness, and he says the majority of people understand how the shop is completely at the mercy of suppliers and the supermarkets when it comes to terms of pricing structure and availability.

He says there are concerns for the future of the shop in its current location, due to circumstances beyond the shop’s control that take effect in a couple of years, but says he is working hard to avoid leaving our wonderful village without vital banking, postal and shopping services.

Finally, Duncan said he wanted to say ‘thank you’. “I would also like to thank my staff, currently Louise and Mandy (my mother) for their continued support, without whom I would not have a business and their help is appreciated more than I can ever say.”

So next time you drive past Llanymynech, why not pop in and support the shop?

The post Llanymynech Village Shop – Part of our community appeared first on Pant Today - About the village of Pant in Shropshire.

The store which was previously listed when it became part of McColl’s has had a new application by local residents accepted so the store is once again listed as a valuable asset to the village and community of Pant.

East listing lasts five years and cannot be extended other than by reapplying for a listing.

The Council has confirmed its decision to relist the store, which means that the residents of Pant must now be given advance notice of any planned change of use which could result in the store no longer operating as a food store.

The convenience store, which also offers Post Office services, is used by locals on a regular basis and provides a vital service to the village as well as people passing by on the busy A483.

Pant shop joins Cross Guns in listing

Both McColl’s and the The Cross Guns Inn are now listed on Shropshire’s register of community assets – the pub is one of over 600 pubs listed as Assets of Community Value in England.

Shaun Fisher, who helped co-ordinate the application for the shop, said: “I am glad that Shropshire Council has relisted the village shop. During the pandemic, McColl’s was a lifeline for many local people and it is a great asset to the village.

“A pub, shop and Post Office are essential for many people in rural areas and Pant is very lucky to have all three – long may that continue.”

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The public hearings, which are currently being held as part of the scrutiny process for the draft Shropshire Local Plan (2016 – 2038), will take place virtually this week (Tuesday 12 until Friday 15 July 2022).

The decision follows a number of people testing positive for Covid-19 after coming along to the face to face hearings last week at Shrewsbury Town Football Club.

From today (Tuesday 12 July), people will be able to view the hearings on the council’s website, but they won’t be able to take part.

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With its entire revenue axed to zero as a result of lockdown, plans are already afoot to seal the castle and its grounds to the public, posing a risk it will never re-open, unless funds can be raised to rescue it.

Chairman of the Trustees of the moated castle and its landscaped parkland, Jonjo Evans, explained: “I have a sinking feeling we are going down for good this time, after years of financial problems and this is tragic given that we started the new year with light at the end of a long tunnel.

For years now the Castle has been treading a financial tightrope, with no external funding whatever, relying on our tea room and car park for a regular modest income to pay wages. With free admission, we are heavily dependent on events such as weddings, re-enactments of landmarks in history and other popular activities to help cover the huge annual cost of keeping the place going. As a rule we do well to break even. People see the castle always bubbling with activity and life, swarming with tourists and assume finances are ticking over nicely. They should see the books.”

Our public liability and other insurance, for instance, cost more than £1,000 a month, so the maximum £10,000 grant we received from the Exchequer as a result of Corona virus will be gone on that and other running costs such as utility bills and other recurring and unavoidable overheads by the end of the summer. Long before that happens, leaving us in effect uninsured and with nothing left in the bank, we will need to take steps to seal the site off to stop people sneaking in. The law requires this and it is a bleak prospect.”

The gatehouse will still be visible from the road, but the moat bridge, along with the road approach to the rest of the castle and its grounds will have to be barricaded and in the absence of an injection of funds I can’t see any of it re-opening when the crisis is over. We need capital now to keep going and at the very least make the small improvements from we had planned to do from the income.”

If you would be able to financially support the castle, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/community-castle-in-crisis, where you can add your contribution.

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As regulars will probably be aware, the Cross Guns recently changed hands after being sold by Marston’s to Admiral Taverns.

Now, Melissa and Steve who have managed the pub for most of 2019, have announced that they will be moving on from next year to take over a new pub in Shifnal.

Their last trading day at The Cross Guns will be New Year’s Eve, when they will be having a party to see in the New Year, which will also serve as a leaving party. They will officially leave on the 2nd January 2020.
This announcement brings to an end uncertainty about whether Mel and Steve would be managing the pub.

Asked about plans for the Cross Guns, a spokesperson for Admiral Taverns said: “Admiral Taverns plans to ensure the Cross Guns Inn remains a vibrant and vital community pub. We will be recruiting for a licensee who buys into our commitment to run great pubs and will help us run a sustainable and authentic local pub which remains at the heart of its community.”

The Cross Guns is now listed on the Admiral Taverns’ website here – https://www.admiraltaverns.co.uk/pubs/crossguns.

Since the announcement of the purchase by Admiral Taverns, locals of the Cross Guns Inn in Pant formed a ‘Friends of the Cross Guns’ group to bring locals together and to support the pub in the future.

As an Asset of Community Value, the Cross Guns is listed with Shropshire Council and as such, if the owners wanted to sell the building or change its use from being a pub in the future, the community would be given the opportunity to buy it.

When the new ‘Friends’ group was set up, Boyd Breen, a local at the Cross Guns said: “We are looking to keep locals involved with their local pub. Over the past few years, the Cross Guns has had a number of managers with varying levels of success. As the Cross Guns is the last pub in the village, we want to see more local people, as well as tourists, using the pub and we look forward to Admiral Taverns investing in the pub to serve the local community.”

You can find the new group can be found on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/groups/832694723829297. The group is an independent initiative and is not an official group of either the Cross Guns or Admiral Taverns.

The post All change at the Cross Guns appeared first on Pant Today - About the village of Pant in Shropshire.

Visitors to the centre can look forward to half-hour boat trips along a beautiful stretch of the Montgomery Canal on a 12-seater trip boat, the ‘George Watson Buck’. (The boat is named after the engineer who rescued and repaired the Vyrnwy aqueduct after it was threatened with collapse in the early 1800s). The boat is accessible to people who use wheelchairs. In the Visitor Centre light refreshments are served and there are canal-related gifts and books for sale as well as a selection of plants.

The centre will be open every Sunday and Bank Holiday until the end of September from 1.30 to 4.30. During August the centre will also be open at the same times each Friday. Children go free on the boat on Bank Holidays and on August Fridays. The Centre and the boat are all run by a team of volunteers.

“We always welcome new volunteers,” says Joan Zorn from the centre. “We would like to see more local people getting involved with the centre and if you would like to help, come and talk to us one Sunday afternoon or contact Liz on 01691 828165. You’d only have to commit to one or two Sunday afternoons as a minimum. We do have a lot of fun!”

During the year, there are a number of special events which take place on Bank Holidays such as Strawberry Cream Teas in August. Keep an eye on Pant.Today for information about other events.

The Visitor Centre is housed in the former stables of the Sun Inn which once stood just to the North of the canal bridge carrying the A483. The stables were restored by British Waterways (now Canal & River Trust) around 2003/4. This was at the same time as the 600m stretch of canal in Llanymynech was cleared, restored and reopened.

For further information, why not visit https://themontgomerycanal.org.uk/llanymynech-canal-wharf/

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Pant residents met to discuss the plans for the artwork and Ruthin-based sculptor Neil Dalrymple outlined the type of sculpture he could envisage for the hall.

Neil spent an afternoon in Pant and Llanymynech before the meeting to get a feel for the area and the type of thing that could be included in the new artwork.

At the meeting – held following the AGM of Pant Memorial Hall – local residents outlined their thoughts for what could appear in the artwork. The overall feeling was that this was a very worthwhile project and would not only add to the look of the Memorial Hall but would also be a fitting memorial to mark 100 years since the Armistice at the end of the First World War.

Neil has undertaken similar commissions in the past, including a ceramic war memorial for the community at Ffrith, in Flintshire.

Pant’s Memorial Hall was set up after the First World War to be a memorial to the suffering endured by soldiers and civilians and now plays a central part in the life of the village.

Due to issues of woodworm in the entrance hall, work is planned to update the front of Pant Memorial Hall in the next 12 months and the addition of a sculpture beside the entrance hall could take place at the same time, resulting in a striking new entrance to the hall.

Speaking after the meeting, Shaun Fisher, one of the hall committee members, said: “Tonight’s meeting was very positive and residents expressed their views about what sort of memorial they would like to see.

“Essentially, the feeling of the meeting was that the memorial should be positive and reflect the environment around Pant including its natural and industrial history.

“Knowing the type of artworks Neil has produced in the past, we are confident that, subject to raising the necessary funds, we can commission a stunning piece of work which will be an asset to the community.”

The cost of the project will be around £4,000 and Pant Memorial Hall is seeking support from local people to raise the funds, as well as grants and sponsorship from local businesses.

Speaking about the commission Neil said: “I had been through Pant in the past and hadn’t realised the breadth of local history and its wildlife. One of my earliest memories is of seeing Llanymynech Rocks one evening lit up by the sun and I am sure that will be a feature in our new artwork.”

If you could pledge to help raise the target of £4,000 or could help in any other way, please contact the Hall’s secretary on secretary@pantmemorialhall.org.uk.

The post Ceramic sculpture for Pant Memorial Hall moves closer appeared first on Pant Today - About the village of Pant in Shropshire.

WHAT GOES ON IN THE HALL?
We host everything from tango classes to digeridoo sessions, children’s birthday parties to kids’ dance. The hall welcomes anything that fits inside and doesn’t scare the neighbours. We have lots of bookings in the diary and are always happy to take new ones.

WHAT IS NEW THIS YEAR?
The two big changes are the removal of the coin meters for heating, and the replacement of our kettles with a state of the art boiling water tap. Our hire cost remains one of the cheapest around.

Meanwhile we’ve done a lot of decluttering, got our hiring forms and health and safety procedures up to date and are working on some smart new signs. The Facebook page is now active and the website is up to date.

WHAT IS NEXT?
The big one for 2018 is to revamp the entrance lobby to make it warmer and smarter. This will need fundraising and the right expertise, it will be quite a job.

CAN I HELP?
Yes please! The hall is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom have been involved for decades –they’ve more than done their bit and it is time for reinforcements.

Village halls work best with a good cross-section of the community on the committee. We are (and want to be) a wide mix of ages and backgrounds, both long-time locals and new arrivals. There are four evening committee meetings a year (including the AGM). You can do as much or as little as you want, it all helps.

WHAT NEEDS DOING?
As well as general committee members, we need a new booking secretary, to liaise with our users and manage the hall diary. The committee chair and vice-chair are also retiring at the AGM, so new incumbents will be needed for these positions.

You’ll use your skills and learn new ones, while keeping this vital village asset in good form. We’re a lively, friendly and varied bunch – come along and meet us so we can prove it! New members will be elected at the AGM on 15th March 2018, so there’s plenty of time to find out what you need to know. Please get in touch!

More information on www.pantmemorialhall.org.uk/get-involved, call 07913 565708 or email secretary@pantmemorialhall.org.uk

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The only pub in Pant, the Cross Guns Inn, has been listed as an asset of community value

Following an application to have the Cross Guns Inn listed as being a valuable asset to the village and community of Pant, Shropshire Council has confirmed its decision to list the pub.

According to Matt Brown, National Planning Advisor at pub campaign group CAMRA, listing is important for all pubs in England.

“We are delighted to be informed that the Cross Guns Inn has been added to the local authority asset list and now has status as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). The listing demonstrates how much the community values the pub. The Cross Guns Inn joins the 600 plus pubs listed as ACV’s in England.”

The application was submitted to Shropshire Council by an informal group of regulars at the Cross Guns and other residents of Pant.

Pubs have been closing at the rate of about 29 per week and many have been converted to private houses or convenience stores. The Cross Guns Group that proposed the listing points out that in the past there were three public houses in Pant, and with the Cross Guns being the only one remaining, it is important that the village doesn’t lose this amenity.

Listing as an asset of community value gives locals in the area advance warning of any planned developments to a pub, especially change of use, which could result in the pub no longer being a public house.

According to CAMRA’s own research, 84% of people believe that a pub is as essential to community life as a shop or post office. Luckily, Pant has all of these assets.

A number of other Shropshire pubs are listed on the list of successfully nominated properties including The Sun in Welshampton, the Cross Keys in Kinnerley and the Golden Lion in Oswestry.

Added Matt Brown: “We urge communities to nominate their local pub for ACV status. To assist with this process we have produced extensive guidance which can be found at http://www.camra.org.uk/list-your-local.”

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