Helô a croeso

 Helô a croeso/hello and welcome to this online magazine centred on all things Bryncrug! It's a small place (population circa 600), but it has big things to shout about. One of those is its location - just three miles from the sea, fringed by majestic hills and bookended by two stunning valleys, the Dysynni and the Talyllyn. The pretty Afon/River Fathew gurgles through the village on its way to join the mightier Dysynni, and various breeds of sheep and cattle graze the fields and slopes all around. 

Probably the village's biggest claim to fame is that for most of her adult life it was home to Mary Jones, who in 1800, aged just 16, walked 26 miles over the mountains to Bala to buy a Bible. She lived with her husband and children in a cottage on the edge of Bryncrug and is buried in the graveyard of the former Calvinistic Methodist Chapel. Another famous resident was the Welsh poet David Richards (better known by his bardic name, Dafydd Ionawr) who was born just outside the village in the Dysynni Valley in 1751. 

Today, Bryncrug is arguably best known for being the home turf of football club CPD Tywyn & Bryncrug. Currently in Division One of the Central Wales League, matches are played on a pitch with fine views of the hills and mountains. The village is also renowned locally for its lively pub, the Peniarth Arms.

The village once had four places of worship, two shops and a primary school - all now closed. A dying community, then? Far from it. Like so many other places, Bryncrug has evolved. The church and two of the chapels are now homes, with the remaining chapel up for sale, ripe for conversion into another quirky residence; one of the shops, too, is now a stylish house. As for the school, ten years ago a group of residents, led by a local farmer, negotiated with Gwynedd Council to purchase the building for the nominal sum of £1 to turn it into a community centre (ganolfan). A decade on, Y Ganolfan Bryncrug still rings to the sound of children playing, as a thriving nursery - Gwenyn Bach - is based in the original classrooms. The building and adjacent grounds are also home to Dysynni Dogs, Young Farmers, First Responders, Bryncrug Youth Club and an artist's studio. They are also used regularly for meetings and events such coffee mornings, Bonfire Night displays and the annual Bryncrug Country Fair. 

And then there are the residents! Mostly a mix of Welsh and English (for many, Welsh is their first language), there is an array of people who have done - and still do - amazing things. From a former sea captain and a county councillor to artists, musicians and entrepreneurs, Bryncrug has many stories to tell. This online magazine aims to do just that - tell local people's stories and put the village on the creative and inspirational map of Wales!

Y Ganolfan Bryncrug

Bryncrug's former church

The Afon/River Fathew flows through Bryncrug