Lampeter, Ceredigion

Lampeter, Ceredigion, has won the Mid & West Wales region award for the 2008 Calor Village of the Year® for Wales.

The community of Lampeter is situated to the west of Llandrindod Wells in Ceredigion and has a population of just over 1,600.

Unique to a place of this size, Lampeter has a university. Founded in 1822, the University of Wales, Lampeter has obviously had a big influence on the community over the years, not least spreading its reputation throughout the world as students graduate and move elsewhere.

However, while this has certainly brought a more cosmopolitan feel to the community than you might find in places of a similar size, it is certainly not what makes Lampeter the special place it is.

Vibrant and diverse, there are many organisations and activities in Lampeter, providing for residents of all ages from the youngest to the oldest. One of more recent projects to support the younger members of the community is the establishment of a youth drop-in centre.

The result of the work of several partners, including the young residents themselves, the longterm plan is to provide specific facilities for this project by purchasing and subsequently renovating a dilapidated building in the community.

With an active Chamber of Trade in Lampeter, local businesses are extremely supportive of community events and activities. A Business Club has also been set up to encourage networking within the local business community.

The University is also very important to Lampeter’s economy, bringing visitors and money to the community as well as the expertise and new business ideas of students who choose to stay on in the community after graduation.

As Wales’ first Transition Town, Lampeter is currently exploring ways of becoming more sustainable in the future, for example looking into energy consumption.

The project is designed to stimulate creative thought, and its aim over the next year is to create a timetabled plan for how Lampeter can move to a lower energy future which is both abundant and delightful.