A community farm in Pembrokeshire has until this Saturday to secure £550,000 to safeguard its future.

Clynfyw Farm in Abercych has been farmed by the Lewis-Bowen family since the 1750s.

For the last three decades it has offered high-quality accessible accommodation and has been an award-winning pioneer of community focussed farm diversification.

The farm is currently home to ten people living in supported accommodation, and functions as a Care Farm open to everyone, particularly those who are vulnerable and marginalised.

It has set up a £550,000 share offer in order to keep its unique and sustainable vision on track.

Clynfyw Community Benefit Society (CBS) has been set up to run the community share offers starting with the purchase of four cottages, converted stone farm buildings and an adjoining nine acres of land.

Over time, it is hoped the whole farm will become community owned, honouring its current uses, while focusing on 'progressive community resilience', and regenerative land usage so it can continue to be enjoyed as a secure community resource, benefiting more people, in perpetuity.

“For a long time we have been wondering about what happens to Clynfyw in the years to come, not just the care farm bit but the farm as whole,” said Clynfyw’s Jim Bowen.

“After a lot of discussion the idea of setting up Clynfyw Community Benefit Society and running a series of community share offers seems a good way of planning a sensible long-term future for the farm while enabling it to become more of a community asset for our wider community with benefits for all involved.”

He added that the share scheme would enable the community to own the farm and have input into what happens next there.

Anyone can invest in the farm, with £100 being the minimum investment and £10,000 being the maximum and with returns of up to four per cent in interest.

“We know we’ve got a good business plan behind it. It is a viable financial proposition and it’s also got immense social gain behind it as well.”

Any surplus made around the share offer will go into community regeneration based around the climate crisis.

Chair of Clynfyw CBS, John Morgan said: "Grab your chance now to own shares in this wonderful farm, have a say in what happens next, and help secure its future as a community hub, providing care farm opportunities and developing and supporting local resilience."

The community share offer runs until Hen Galan, January 13 2024.

More details, including an investment form, can be found at clynfyw.co.uk under 'CBS'. Or you can email/phone the financial and administration coordinator, Lizzie, at adminCBS@clynfyw.co.uk / 01239 841236.