The doors of the Welshpool Hotel, affectionately known as the Welshy, will soon close for the final time, bringing to an end a difficult but much-loved chapter in the hotel’s history.
For the past three years, Prom Coast local Skye Dubignon, has worked tirelessly to give the pub a new lease of life, taking on the challenge with hopes of eventually buying the property. But her tenure was dealt a devastating blow just five weeks after she opened the doors, when the 2023 Boxing Day floods swept through Welshpool.
In a Facebook video announcing the closure, Skye said she had entered the business with a lease-to-buy agreement and had been working seven days a week across two jobs towards her goal of owning the pub. Then came the floods. Skye alleges she subsequently discovered that the landlord had not held the flood insurance she says was required under their agreement. Three years later, she said she was still dealing with the consequences of the damage.
Despite the setback, Skye said she had continued to put her own money into the business to keep the doors open and her staff employed. She also tried to negotiate a way to purchase the pub in its current condition, but ultimately those efforts did not provide a path forward.
Her lease expires on October 31, although the Welshy’s various services will wind down before then. The kitchen will close after Sunday, October 18, while the bar, bottle shop and motel will operate until October 25. There will be a final line dancing night on Friday, October 9, followed by live music and a farewell party on Saturday, October 17.
The closure has prompted an extraordinary response from the Welshy’s customers and supporters, with more than 160 comments accompanying Skye’s announcement. While some expressed anger and frustration over the circumstances surrounding the closure, most were messages of support for Skye and her team, praising the work they had put into the pub and expressing sadness that their efforts had come to an end.
One regular described having a meal at the Welshy every Thursday with his wife and said he would miss seeing Skye’s team, while another thanked her for making the pub a “real go-to venue”. Others praised the accommodation as a welcoming stop for cyclists using the rail trail and spoke of the meals, events and community atmosphere created during Skye’s time at the helm. David Barrett
