Bank Holiday Monday morning saw the community outside Siop Y Pentre to show their appreciation for Eryl and Mari Williams for 18 years of service.

The villagers wished them well on their retirement and showed their gratitude with a gift and flowers. Llinos Rawson of Pentre Motors, who helped organised the collection, handed over the gift and said a few words of thanks.

The shop is the social hub of Llanrhaeadr, with the nearest alternative being Denbigh, and is vital to the community. Owners Eryl and Mari adopted responsibility to the village by maintaining the shop, and were particularly notable for caring for the elderly.

The community has now welcomed Wyn and Juliette Roberts, from Clocaenog, who have taken over the running of the shop and hope to continue its role in the community.

Speaking on their first day of business, Wyn said: “We’ve known Mari and Eryl for years and the community has been good to us. We heard talk that there was little interest in anyone new taking it on, so we wanted to keep it going. We wanted to make sure that it’s business as usual.”