Saith Seren
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Posts
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Another victim of corporate greed. Surely a successful company in a WELSH town can offer something to the Community in which they reap huge rewards. Shame on them. I invite them to reply and justify their stance.. if they can! :) which I doubt.
In the current economic climate no Landlord will pull the plug to gain an empty property unless they are owed money or someone is doing something illegal- how much does Saith Saren owe? Is it just to the Landlord? If they have debts then they have no option but to close.
Or has the Landlord – Clwyd Alyn been offered funding from the Council Vibrant and Viable pot to make Saith Seren into accommodation.
Or is it that the Council see Saith Saren as a arts and culture centre that would compete against THEIR own proposal to convert the Peoples Market- Didn’t SS a few months ago look at taking over the old cinema at the back of the pub – the extra space would have made a massive difference – yes on a different scale but SS could have been applying for the same Arts funding the Council are looking for. Was this ever considered by the consultants developing the Grand Council Plan for Wrexham then why not? Why was this not put forward as an option? Did Party Politics play a part in not having this as a consideration?… or maybe, just maybe, there isn’t the demand to keep a Welsh language “pub” going in a town where that language is so little used and so little wanted.
Now, a Polish pub. That may be different.
Cue the racist barrage.
I know nothing about the specifics of the demise of this business bar what I have read on Wrexham.Com. I do know that I have liquidated a Business in the not too distant past and have had to lay off staff as well………it is never pleasant. Whilst I note the speculation above, it is very rare that any business hits the buffers for one reason and there are probably multiple factors in play. I must confess that I was surprised when I saw a Welsh Cultural hub emerge in a pub setting at a time when pubs are in dramatic decline everywhere. I would be curious as to the basis of the various Income streams that Saith Seren have developed and I would also be curious at the cost base of the operation. There seems to be a buoyancy about the comments being made by those who run the operation and it would seem that there is some demand for this type of facility within a heavily Anglicised town with a Welsh speaking minority. Perhaps it is a case of going back to the drawing board, reviewing the mistakes that were made and trying to re-emerge better for it. I would certainly not be put off by any feeling of failure that is naturally felt by all involved
I was initially very keen to support the venture when it was first described as a community based cooperative however it became pretty evident there was a strong political connection between the main drivers, which wasn’t for me, and I guess many others.
I’d take issue with the statement that its town centre fringe location was a contributing factor. In fact its location is ideal to take advantage of WCBC and Crown Building employees, many of whom will travel across the town for a quick lunch or an after-work drink. There was a real opportunity to work with the local food and drink initiatives to heavily showcase what the area has to offer but there didn’t appear to be the imagination to push beyond the tired old formula of cheap beer and 80’s pub menu. A path that many bars and pubs continue to tread towards their demise, as Alun alludes to.
I seem to recall the Council also helping out with rate relief for Saith Seren recently? Contrary to Dylan’s suggestion, this can only hinder the Councils attempts to sprinkle glitter on the People’s Market turd.It is another example of social engineering by the Welsh Gov, with short term funding and little actual research into whether it was viable in Wrexham. The failure is the failure of the Welsh Gov and their increasingly facist Welsh language agenda.
Sorry Mrs Crew no blame lies with the Welsh Government (for once) as they put no money into this project. The blame lies with the lack of people using the facility- it was a commercial operation for the benefit of the community but could only survive depending on the number of people through the door and their spending.
[quote quote=92832]as a community based cooperative however it became pretty evident there was[/quote]
You make two vital points here Adam. I quite agree with you about the location concept. Secondly, I also agree with you about the Marketing position that the venture adopted. Playing to a Welsh language audience, but a pub using Welsh language audience had limited mileage. In the 80s and 90s, when pubs were already encountering difficulties, many landlords starting adding gimmicks to the mix (Sunday Football Teams, Quiz teams, Bands, etc). None of these were done for anything more than stimulating a client base and, eventually, all ran out of steam. I suspect that a Welsh language hub should provide a more holistic experience, try to set a stall out that is family orientated, offering a cultural experience, play areas, artefacts and as many commercial lines as imaginable. It should be part food retailer, part museum, part play area, part Tourist Info centre, a fusion of Welsh book shop, Welsh CD shop, etc. A pub setting…..nope
[quote quote=92832]I seem to recall the Council also helping out with rate relief for Saith Seren recently? Contrary to Dylan’s suggestion, this can only hinder the Councils attempts to sprinkle glitter on the People’s Market turd.[/quote]
As I recall it they made several unsuccessful attempts at gaining rate relief.
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