Birthplace of hymn Cwm Rhondda saved by fundraising drive

The Welsh valleys chapel where the beloved hymn Cwm Rhondda – also known as Bread of Heaven – was first sung is safe in the hands of local people after a successful fundraising campaign.

A community group has taken ownership of Capel Rhondda in Hopkinstown, near Pontypridd, after raising more than £70,000.

Residents hope the former Baptist chapel can be preserved as a community space, potentially serving choirs and Welsh-language groups.

Rhian Hopkins, one of the leading lights in the campaign, said: “The purchase of Capel Rhondda demonstrates what is possible when people come together.

Capel Rhondda could now be transformed into a community space. Photograph: Google Maps

“We are so incredibly proud of our community fundraising achievement and grateful for every donation received, from individuals and organisations near and far. Community ownership of the chapel is not just a powerful symbol, but ensures that the future of Capel Rhondda will be shaped by local voices.”

The Welsh government has awarded a £10,000 grant to fund surveys and repair work on the building.

Hopkins said: “We recognise the many challenges that lie ahead, from securing significant additional funding to carrying out extensive repair and restoration work. We are committed to consulting with residents to create a welcoming space for all.”

The composer John Hughes wrote Cwm Rhondda in 1907 to celebrate the installation of a new organ at the chapel. The Grade II-listed building closed in December 2024 after years of declining congregations and was put up for sale by the Baptist Union of Wales.

Backers from across Wales and farther afield came together to save the chapel, whose organ inspired John Hughes to write Cwm Rhondda. Composite: Rhian o Drehopcyn/Crowdfunder

Donations came from across Wales and beyond. Some contributors said they were giving in honour of family members who had sung in the choir; others simply because they loved the hymn.

Mark Drakeford, the Welsh government’s cabinet secretary for finance and Welsh language, was treated to a performance of Cwm Rhondda by members of the Pontypridd male voice choir when he visited to celebrate the purchase.

He said: “It was an honour to visit Capel Rhondda so soon after the community received the keys and to celebrate what has been achieved. Hearing the choir perform the hymn in its birthplace was a moving experience.”

The purchase comes in the run-up to Wales’s first home match of the 2026 Six Nations this weekend, when supporters at the national stadium are expected to sing the hymn.

Capel Rhondda is the first project in the south Wales valleys to benefit from the Welsh government’s Perthyn grant, which supports community initiatives with the Welsh language at their heart.

About a quarter of Wales’s places of worship have closed over the past decade as congregations have declined, according to the Bevan Foundation, a public policy thinktank. Many chapels have since been converted into private homes, second homes or holiday lets.