Menter y Pentre Cemaes Village Venture was a newspaper shop, and after being sold it remained empty for some time. It was a huge empty space on the High Street. In early 2009, Elfed Jones, Chairman of Llanbadrig Community Council, managed to get a rental agreement with the owners of the shop after a group of villagers offered to form a Community Shop. In true community style, volunteers set about
cleaning and painting the shop with donated paint and once the electrical work was completed Menter y Pentre Cemaes Village Venture became a reality. The shop was opened on 28 February 2009 by the Wylfa Pantomine Dame! The shop was intended for crafters to make and sell goods which enabled the team to raise money for groups such as Carnival Cemaes and Cemaes in Bloom, with further profits going back into the community. During the first year there were donations to Cemaes Junior School for wet weather clothing for the children, Marie Curie and the High Street Christmas Lights. Since then there have been many other beneficiaries including St David's Hospice, Cemaes Bay Junior Football Club, Charles Henry Ashley Sailing Club, RNLI, Welsh Air Ambulance and Cemaes Nursery. During 2014, the shop was closed for a short time while everything went into storage to enable rewiring, the floor to be levelled and new carpet installed (the carpet is still serving us well!) The shop was opened by Albert Owen MP. In December 2017, the shop was closed again for three months when the Community Council arranged for major renovations to be carried out. A grant from Horizon Nuclear Power enabled us to buy new bookcases and tables, helping us to create a new and fresher look at reopening. Mr Albert Owen MP once again supported the opening day. In October 2018, the BBC approached us to ask if they could use the shop as an Antiques and Jewellery Shop for the filming of a comedy from Anglesey, 'Pitching In'. Despite intermittent closures during the Covid pandemic, the shop has gone from strength to strength. We now support over 30 different stockists who ensure that our 'emporium' offers a wide variety of items - from cakes to woodcrafts and from collectables to handmade jewellery. We also offer a comprehensive selection of Halen Môn products, we stock Welsh confectionary, we have a small selection of new books and maps and still offer a range of pre-loved books. We have a loyal following of customers from the local community and we are always delighted to welcome visitors to the shop, many of whom return year after year. Of course, the shop could not exist without the fantastic team of loyal volunteers who open the doors through all weather and during the Summer months, 7 days a week.
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Siop bapur newydd oedd Menter y Pentre Cemaes Village Venture, ac ar ôl cael ei gwerthu arhosodd yn wag am beth amser. Roedd yn le gwag enfawr ar y Stryd Fawr. Yn gynnar yn 2009, llwyddodd Elfed Jones, Cadeirydd Cyngor Cymuned Llanbadrig, i gael cytundeb rhentu gyda pherchnogion y siop ar ôl i griw o bentrefwyr gynnig ffurfio Siop Gymunedol. Mewn arddull gymunedol go iawn, aeth gwirfoddolwyr ati i lanhau a phaentio’r siop gyda phaent a roddwyd ac unwaith i’r gwaith trydanol gael ei gwblhau daeth Menter y Pentre Cemaes Village Venture yn realiti. Agorwyd y siop ar 28 Chwefror 2009 gan Pantomime Dame Wylfa! Bwriadwyd y siop ar gyfer artistiaid/crefftwyr a gwirfoddolwyr i wneud a gwerthu nwyddau a alluogodd y tîm i godi arian ar gyfer grwpiau fel Carnifal Cemaes a Chemaes in Bloom, gydag elw pellach yn mynd yn ôl i'r gymuned. Yn ystod y flwyddyn gyntaf cafwyd rhoddion i Ysgol Gynradd Cemaes ar gyfer dillad tywydd gwlyb i’r plant, Marie Curie a Goleuadau Nadolig y Stryd Fawr. Ers hynny bu llawer o fuddiolwyr eraill gan gynnwys Hosbis Dewi Sant, Clwb Pêl-droed Iau Bae Cemaes, Clwb Hwylio Charles Henry Ashley, RNLI, Ambiwlans Awyr Cymru a Meithrinfa Cemaes. Yn ystod 2014, bu’r siop ar gau am gyfnod byr tra bod popeth yn mynd i storfa i alluogi ailweirio, y llawr i gael ei lefelu a gosod carped newydd (mae’r carped yn dal i’n gwasanaethu’n dda!) Agorwyd y siop gan Albert Owen AS. Ym mis Rhagfyr 2017, caewyd y siop eto am dri mis pan drefnodd y Cyngor Cymuned i waith adnewyddu mawr gael ei wneud. Fe wnaeth grant gan Pŵer Niwclear Horizon ein galluogi i brynu cypyrddau llyfrau a byrddau newydd, gan ein helpu i greu golwg newydd a mwy ffres ar ailagor. Roedd Mr Albert Owen AS unwaith eto yn cefnogi'r diwrnod agoriadol. Ym mis Hydref 2018, daeth y BBC atom i ofyn a allent ddefnyddio'r siop fel Siop Hen Bethau a Gemwaith ar gyfer ffilmio comedi o Ynys Môn, 'Pitching In'. Er gwaethaf cau ysbeidiol yn ystod pandemig Covid, mae'r siop wedi mynd o nerth i nerth. Rydym bellach yn cefnogi dros 30 o wahanol stocwyr sy'n sicrhau bod ein 'emporiwm' yn cynnig amrywiaeth eang o eitemau - o gacennau i grefftau pren ac o bethau casgladwy i emwaith wedi'u gwneud â llaw. Rydym hefyd yn cynnig dewis cynhwysfawr o gynnyrch Halen Môn, rydym yn stocio losin Cymreig, mae gennym ddetholiad bach o lyfrau a mapiau newydd ac yn dal i gynnig hoff lyfrau. Mae gennym ddilynwyr ffyddlon o gwsmeriaid o’r gymuned leol ac rydym bob amser yn falch iawn o groesawu ymwelwyr i’r siop, gyda llawer ohonynt yn dychwelyd flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn. Wrth gwrs, ni allai’r siop fodoli heb y tîm gwych o wirfoddolwyr ffyddlon sy’n agor y drysau trwy bob tywydd ac yn ystod misoedd yr Haf, 7 diwrnod yr wythnos.
