A building in Powys has been saved from closure, after being awarded funding.

The Judge's Lodging in Presteigne will receive £187,557 from the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund, which supports treasured institutions like pubs, museums and sports clubs across the UK so that they can be run by the community, for the community.

The Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies visited the historic building in Powys, which was used by travelling judges, as it receives funding from the UK Government to preserve it as a community asset.

He visited the building in the town of Presteigne to see the building and hear about the ambitious plans to develop it.

He was welcomed by Diane Gwilt, chair of the board of trustees for the Judges Lodging. She is pleased to have received the UK Government Funding, which has saved the building from closure. "This funding has quite literally saved this building from closure. The impact of the funding is enormously fundamental. Without it, we would have probably survived for another year, but it was very hard to see how we were actually going to stay open after that and do the work that is required to keep the place ticking over.

"The first block of funding we got was from the National Heritage Lottery Fund. They had confidence in the project. The Community Ownership Fund is match funding that. There's so much work, but it's worth it."

In 1542, Presteigne was chosen to house eminent men after the murder of a judge in the venue for the Court of King’s Great Sessions in Rhayader. In the 1800s, The Judges Lodging hosted the Great Sessions (called Assizes after 1830) and also the Quarter sessions, where the Magistrates met to try minor offences and carry out their administrative duties, rather like a County Council does today.

Such history comes with a need to preserve the place so that tourists and members of the community can use the space and learn about Presteigne's history. Diane, who also works full-time as head of collection services at Amgueddfa Cymru Museum Wales, has experience with keeping history at the heart of a business but admits that the pressure to save the place can be daunting. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't have sleepless nights. It's exhilarating and scary at the same time. I've worked in the heritage sector my whole life. The pressure is opening the door, keeping visitors coming in. It's immense because it's about maintaining the building, but also looking after the staff who work here. Their livelihoods are at stake. It's having a space that the community can use. If you think about it too long it's really scary.

"But for me, the key was to go down fighting. I had to give it everything I could so that if it didn't work out, I could stand there and say I gave it my all to make this organisation work and to lead it to being more financially stable as an independent trust. I wasn't going to just walk away. It's worth saving and it's worth fighting for. The building and the community of Presteigne are worth fighting for. They're so proud of it, and they deserve it."

The building relies on gas to power the lights, and when the energy costs rose it changed everything for the building. "This organisation is a very hand-to-mouth existence. It doesn't take much to go from good to really scary. When energy prices shot up last year, they tripled, which made a massive difference to our financial position. It made the funding even more timely."

The funding is for developing apartments so that people can have the experience of staying in a historic building. "90% of it is for the apartments, while a small amount of it goes to supporting the running costs of the building. The apartments used to belong to a housekeeper. All throughout the history of the building there have been staff who have lived here. That continues all the way through being an Assize court, which stopped in 1971, but there was still a housekeeper in the building up until 1996. It is their flat that we are going to turn into two holiday lets. So we're continuing the tradition of someone living in the building, which is nice, and gives it a new lease of life."

The Community Ownership Fund has now given £4 million for 18 projects in Wales, part of 195 projects now being supported across the UK. The Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies was given a tour of the building, which includes a jail, courthouse and servant quarters.

"The funding has been put to really good use here. It's a museum, but as the volunteers have said, it's as though time has stopped. It blew me away. It's a real glimpse of what life was like over a hundred years ago." Mr Davies said.

It was his first time in Presteigne, and he took the time to take it all in. "I parked up the road so I could have a walk around. It's a beautiful part of the world. I think this is going to be hugely successful and will be a big draw for the village."

"My involvement is to support the funding to do something positive for the local area," he continued. "They are fantastic projects. We are proud to be supporting people to take control of their local assets. Levelling up is at the centre of the UK Government’s ambitions and communities across Wales will be transformed over the coming years as this funding continues."

The MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, Fay Jones, also attended. "The Judges Lodging is incredibly important. It tells an incredible story and you have to come here to really believe it. The fact that the Community Ownership Fund puts it on a sure footing, meaning that it has an almost guaranteed permanent income stream, is really positive. It means so much to Presteigne. It's a living bit of Presteigne's history and I'm so glad it's secured the funding that will give it life for years to come.

"It's fantastic for The Secretary of State to come here and see the types of projects that we have been bidding for here in Radnorshire. We've also been successful with the Radnor Arms Hotel in New Radnor. It's two great projects that we have been able to get over the line. I'm really proud of Radnorshire at the moment, so it's great to see The Secretary of State come here and see how good it's doing. People want both of their governments to work together. They want the Welsh and UK Governments working hand in hand to support projects like this."

The Judges Lodging hopes that their apartments can be ready for people to stay in October 2024.

In total, an additional £770,057 has been announced for three projects in Wales so that local people can continue to benefit from them.

Other funding was awarded to The Vale of Aeron pub in Ceredigion, which was known as a favourite haunt of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas when he lived nearby in the 1940s.

UK Government minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young said: "The community institutions we’re protecting today are the pride and joy for many residents, and we’re securing their future through a £12.3 million boost of levelling up funding.

"These places – from pubs to historic railway lines – are the golden thread which runs through our social fabric, and keeping them going is vital for supporting communities."

Changes which came into effect for this round of bids also meant that all projects could bid for up to £1 million in funding, not just sports clubs, and the amount organisations needed to match funds decreased to 20%.

This also marks the first time that applicants such as The Judge's Lodging have been able to benefit from support with the development of their application and business case, through the Community Ownership Fund development support provider, led by Locality.

The Community Ownership Fund is currently open again for bids and will close on 11th October 2023, and groups are being urged to apply for up to £2m in funding for the very first time.