Chapel offers bacon butties

A small chapel near Bettws Cedewain is offering free bacon butties as part of its attempt to highlight its historic presence in the area.

Pentre Llifior Mehtodist Chapel will be known to many who travel on the Berriew to Bettws Cedewain road, nestled on the side of the road. But what isn't so well known is its history and the fact one of the people to buy the land for the chapel - James Buckley - is now the face of the famous Rev James ale and it is the second oldest Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Wales.

September will be a busy month for the chapel which is taking part in the annual Open Doors event to attract visitors to heritage sites throughout Wales, as well as hosting its very own flower festival.

Last year the chapel underwent restoration and re-development and enhanced its status as a Methodist heritage site. The work included a new meeting room with kitchen and toilets on the oppostite side of the road, complete with car park.

It also plans to be part of a "Wesley Way" trail in Wales, allowing people to walk between historic Wesleyan sites.

On Saturday, 7th September the chapel will launch its fornightly "Bacon Buddies" events where visitors will be able to have a bacon buttie and tea or coffee and have a look around the historic chapel, as well as udnertaking a short tour if they want. It will coincide with the chapel's annua flower festival, which this year has a theme of "Mission".

"The idea behind it is outreach to the local community surrounding Pentre Llifior.  As you will appreciate, with the chapel being very "rural" in its location, people very often just drive by on the way to or from somewhere. What we are trying to do is to get them to stop - hence the enticing bacon," said Mandy Thomas, one of the volunteers at the chapel.

"The objective is to try to focus on that hour and a half, once a fortnight for people of all ages (yep, bring the kids too) just to come together and have a chat, share experiences and build community relationships etc.

"All to often, people who live down the road from each other when the properties are so widely spread are reluctant to make the first move or just don't find the time to and therefore don't know their neighb ours.  Bacon Buddies is a focal point where everyone can meet for a small amount of time without the pressure of it being in anyone's home - preserving those who want their homes to remain private but may want to mix a little."

The chapel will be open between 10am and 4pm on the Saturday and 11am to 1.30pm on the Sunday, allowing visitors to view the array of flowers in the festival.

Then, on 14th and 15th September, the chapek will take part in the Open Doors programme organised by The Civic Trust for Wales and CADW. It will open its doors between 11am and 4pm on the Saturday and 11am until 2pm on he Sunday.