A golf club is aiming to build the most eco-friendly clubhouse in Wales.
The pay and play Silver Birch Golf Club, in Betws yn Rhos, near Abergele, plans to invest up to £100,000 with a major upgrade of its facilities.
They are hoping to build a new, single story clubhouse complete with solar panels, rainwater harvesting and an eco-digester.
Owners Bryn and Menna Jones are preparing to submit a planning application to Conwy County Borough Council.
The couple paid tribute to the “brilliant” advice and support they have received from the rural regeneration agency, Conwy Rural Business Support (CRBS).
They say the free help from CRBS has been invaluable in planning the next phase of the club’s development.
Earlier this year, they were honoured for their community work at the annual Rural Conwy Business Awards.
Over the years they have raised thousands of pounds for various charities.
The club and its 18 holes have been created on former farm land in a picturesque setting.
Bryn and Menna opened the first nine holes in 1995 and another nine followed in 2004.
Menna recalled: ” We had been renting out the land and there wasn’t much money coming in from the pasture.
“A few locals had been complaining that all the local golf clubs were full and that there was a waiting list of two or three years to join.
“Then we saw a story in a newspaper about a farmer doing something similar in Aberystwyth so we decided to investigate the possibilities – and the rest is history.
“The course is quite compact and because it’s a pay and play club young people can come here and learn.
“We have a lot of people who play here regularly and we get golfing tourists from all over the world coming here for a game.
“They can’t get over how beautiful the countryside is around here, surrounded by lush green hills and views to die for.
“The next big step for us is building a new clubhouse so that we can upgrade the facilities.
“With all the television coverage that golf gets, we want to be able to take advantage of the sport’s growing popularity.
“This is an extremely important time for us and Conwy Rural Business Support have been absolutely brilliant – we know that if we need advice or help that all we have to do is pick up the phone.
“Having the back up of their professional services is extremely reassuring and if there is any funding available they can point us in the right direction.
“Their IT specialist Alan Greenwood as also been helpful in advising us about how to improve the website as well as using Twitter and Facebook.”
Bryn added: “When the new clubhouse is built, we want to do as much as we can in terms of being environmentally friendly.
“We’re going to harvest the rainwater and put up solar panels as well as installing an eco-digester to deal with the waste.
“We’re hoping to create the most eco-friendly golf club in Wales.”
Anna Openshaw, the Project Officer for Conwy Rural Business Support, is delighted by the expansion plans at the Silver Birch Golf Club.
She said: “We are very proud of the part we are playing in helping Bryn and Menna take the business to the next level with these exciting plans.”
For more information about the free support and advice that’s available to small businesses in rural Conwy contact Anna Openshaw either by emailing [email protected] or ringing 01492 577834/5. If you want more information about the Silver Birch Golf Club go to www.silverbirchgolfclub.co.uk or ring 01492 680690
