The community-owned Yr Heliwr pub in Nefyn, Gwynedd, has diversified by opening an outdoor events space to help improve health and wellbeing, tackle loneliness and give the opportunity for locals to learn new skills.

Expert help and a Community Services Fund grant from Pub is The Hub was provided to help the purchase of a gazebo for the pub’s community garden to provide an all-weather space to bring people together including volunteers, groups and families.

The funding has also helped to landscape the garden and create tall, raised beds to support green-fingered volunteers with mobility issues.

Gardd Yr Heliwr Community Garden was established by volunteers (above) organised by the pub, who gave around 1,000 hours of their time towards the design and initial development of the project.

Many Nefyn residents live in traditional, small, terraced homes with little or no garden space, so the community garden is an important resource for locals.

By creating a new formal seating area inside the gazebo, with benches and chairs, the garden committee plan to enable more activities, such as apple pressing, volunteer training, and coffee and cake mornings.

The new structure will also mean that there is space to hold more events and meetings within the garden, supporting groups to socialise together which can help to tackle rural isolation, and improve wellbeing.

Chair of Yr Heliwr Rhodri Evans said: “This wonderful outdoor events space will encourage local people to spend more time together and volunteer in the garden. It will also provide an outdoor space where we can offer educational as well as social events.”