Saith Seren freehold bought by cooperative after 11 years

Saith Seren has been bought by the cooperative that’s run the community-run bar and Welsh centre for the past 11 years.

Since the Wrexham town centre pub was re-opened as Wrexham’s Welsh centre, it’s been on a long-term lease from the landlord, Clwyd Alyn Housing Association. Now the Saith Seren board, Canolfan Gymraeg Wrecsam, has successfully completed the purchase of the building and is planning to make some improvements.

Chris Evans, Saith Seren’s chair, said: “It’s been a long-term ambition of ours to own the building as it reduces our monthly outgoings substantially even with a mortgage to pay. It also allows us greater flexibility to rent out upstairs offices and rooms.

“The board of volunteers is very grateful to those who have worked tirelessly on our behalf to secure the purchase – they know who they are. It was a process we started before Covid and it’s been held up due to the pandemic but now we’re in a position to officially announce that we now own Saith Seren.”

The listed building dates back to the 1890s and is one of Wrexham’s most distinctive buildings, with a striking mural and balcony above the front door. The site has had a pub on it for at least 200 years and it’s hosted hundreds of local bands over the years.

Mr Evans added: “Our primary aim has always been to promote the Welsh language and culture right in the heart of Wrexham and to stage different cultural events whether it’s music, drama, comedy or poetry. As a voluntary group, we’re grateful for the support we’ve had from the community over our first decade and we look forward to continuing to develop over the coming years.

“We’ve also hosted many new and upcoming local bands – in some cases providing them with a stage for their first live performances. It’s been great to see the likes of The Royston Club and Trials of Cato go on to bigger and better things on the back of honing their skills on Saith Seren’s stage.”

He added that the bar had a very special bottle of Aviation Gin waiting for a particular customer: “Back in 2020 we received a case of Aviation Gin, kindly donated by Ryan Reynolds with a note saying ‘To the folks at Saith Seren: Some for you and some for me. Hopefully see you soon – Ryan Reynolds.’ We’ve kept one bottle from the case just in case Ryan and Rob pop in for a quick one before a game. There’ll always be a warm welcome for them here – along with a gin or two.”

Saith Seren was one of the legacies of the National Eisteddfod when it last came to area in 2011 and the announcement that the festival is returning to Wrexham in 2025 has provided an additional boost: “We know that people from all over Wales will flock to Wrexham for this week-long festival and we hope to see the place buzzing with activity. Saith Seren wasn’t there to benefit from that 12 years ago but we plan to have a huge party to celebrate when the Eisteddfod comes to town.”