31Countryside January 2018

O Little Town of Bethlehem…...in west Wales, that is. A village in Carmarthenshire has used its

iconic name to raise vital funds and unite a scattered farming

community, discovers Kitty Corrigan

BETHLEHEM IN JUDEA, the New Testament tells us, attracted travellers from far and wide for the census decreed by

Caesar Augustus, 2017 years ago. Today, its namesake in west Wales draws visitors

from all over the UK, and some from abroad, to acquire the coveted Bethlehem postmark, hand-stamped by a band of volunteers who work in shifts from the beginning of December through to last posting day in the community hall. A 10p charge on top of the cost of postage is all that’s required to impress everyone on your Christmas card list.

The hall, serving a dispersed farming population of 250 (a quarter of the other Bethlehem’s size at the time of Jesus’ birth) is in the former primary school, which closed in 1999, and, until two years ago also housed a post office. When this shut down in a round of rural cuts, a replacement mobile

service transported mail to Llandeilo for onward shipping to Cardiff for franking, and so numbers of pilgrims declined.

However, the stalwart community in Carmarthenshire was determined to keep its unique selling point – they even received cards from Christian Arabs on the West Bank – not to mention the extra revenue from the influx of seasonal visitors in the quiet winter months.

Des Oldfield, one of the (possibly more than three) Wise Men of Bethlehem, was one of a working group that devised a distinctive royal blue design incorporating the star of David and the village’s iconic name, to appear in the left-hand corner of each envelope.

Des, a retired food consultant, moved to the village with his wife Libby 10 years ago and started to help organise events, tapping into local talent

Words by:Kitty CorriganKitty Corrigan is a freelance journalist in the Welsh Borders, specialising in rural issues

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and skills (he himself is a keen amateur artist).“People are once again flocking to Bethlehem,”

he says. “While customers wait in the hall for the special postmark, they browse the merchandise we have produced – jute bags with the postmark design, mugs and mementoes – and are offered tea, coffee and homemade cakes, which all raises extra money and makes the community association sustainable.”

Gifts from the holy land of west Wales are also on sale at the annual Christmas Fair, organised by ceramicist Kate Glanville, whose clients have included Liberty, Fired Earth and Madonna. This year the fair is being held on 13 December from 6-8.30pm.

Kate and her friend, Ann Duff, were instrumental in securing a grant to convert the old school building into a social centre, and it is now a bright, welcoming hall with excellent kitchen and bathroom facilities, even capable of accommodating recently a group of young German walkers who found there was no room at the inn. They were invited to bed down on the floor in their sleeping bags.

A pop-up café in the hall is open during Advent, with Bethlehem soup and heavenly manna on the menu, and the former post office in the annexe is now a popular book-swap venue. Because there is renewed demand for the Bethlehem postmark, there are plans to sell pre-stamped cards online, involving local schoolchildren in the design. All

stationery is printed locally in English and Welsh.“The hall is now the social hub of Bethlehem,”

says Des proudly. “As well as its unique Christmas role, during the year we hold cooking sessions, food fairs, a café on Sundays during the summer, plant swaps, quizzes, plays and concerts.”

Des has now passed on the organising role to Nia Clement, a jewellery maker, and to Sue Lawrence, who, with a background in theatre and creative writing, is keen to continue the work done to date and encourage more local groups to use and perform in the hall.

“There’s plenty of theatrical talent in the Young Farmers’ Club,” she says.

Bethlehem is a Welsh-speaking village and every effort is made to promote the language. The Congregational chapel conducts its Christmas services entirely in Welsh, just as it does year-round. Its organist for 51 years, Marion Bowen, a star of Bethlehem, has just retired at the age of 81. “I used to love playing there, and would also travel to two other chapels,” she says. “I remember when the pews were full every Sunday, but now attendance has dwindled to seven or eight.”

Chapel was a way of socialising, exchanging news, and keeping the language alive. However, almost everyone in Bethlehem now uses social media, and those who can’t access a round robin at Christmas are telephoned or called upon, to make sure no one is left out. “People complain about social media, but it’s a life-saver in this dispersed

CHANGING TIMES: In the past, the Bethlehem Chapel was a real focal point for this small Welsh faming community, but the hall is now the social hub of the village

34 Countryside January 2018

community,” says Sue.There are five dairy and four beef and sheep

farms in the area. Rachel Harries, 32, is a fourth-generation farmer, married to Rheinallt, with three children under four. “We are the youngest farmers here,” Rachel says.

What’s in a nameThe village was originally known as Dyffryn Ceidrich, centred around Bethlehem chapel, but, presumably because English speakers could not pronounce the Welsh, it adopted the name of the chapel in the mid-19th century.

The farm where Marion lived until her husband died has been converted into self-catering cottages, including one called The Stable. If your name is Mary, Joseph or Jesus, you are eligible for a returning discount of 10 per cent. It sleeps 10 and is usually full over Christmas, but is available to book for Christmas 2018 (cennencottages.co.uk). With ensuite bedrooms, log burner and underfloor heating, it’s a lot more comfortable than the Nativity equivalent.

The village in not unique in its association with the birthplace of the Messiah. Indeed, there is another Welsh Bethlehem in Pembrokeshire (and a Nazareth in Gwynedd). And there are no fewer than 14 towns of the same name worldwide, ranging from the Bible Belt in the US to Switzerland and New Zealand. But none of these embraces its association with as much community spirit as the little town in Carmarthenshire.

Finding your way thereYou don’t have to rely on a guiding star to find Bethlehem. Travel by train on the scenic Heart of Wales line and alight at the villages of Llangadog or Llandeilo, then it’s a short distance by taxi (book in advance). By car, it is on the opposite side of the river Twyi towards Haverfordwest from the A40.