A church nestled in a river bend and first rescued by a local man as a tribute to his wife has been lovingly restored once again, 70 years later, by the charity he founded almost eight decades ago.

Ivor Bulmer-Thomas was a journalist, sportsman and politician who formed the charity, Friends of the Friendless Churches, in 1957.

The Cwmbran-born Member of Parliament was educated in Pontypool and went on to serve in Clement Atlee’s Labour government. It was only later the charity was formed with a vision of saving churches that had fallen into disrepair.

Perhaps the most significant of the churches saved by the charity is St James’ in Llangua. Only the most keen of motorists on the A465 would have spotted the medieval parish church from the road, but it was Thomas himself who first restored the site in 1954, as a tribute to his wife Dilys, who passed away after giving birth to their child.

“This is the first example of a church which he restored,” said Roger Evans, the present chairman of the charity.

“It was a revolutionary thing to do at the time and a striking achievement. The building continued in general use for the benefit of the local community up until very recently, when the deterioration of the structure meant that it closed.”

“The parish had to accept that it was beyond their economic ability to repair it, so that is where we stepped in.”

The history of the building itself is fascinating, as it was originally dedicated to St Ciwa, a local female saint said to have been raised by wolves. In itself, the church has outlived the Benedictine Monastery to which it was given following the Norman conquest of Gwent which ended in 1086.

There are no remains of the monastic cell in Llangua, so the fact that the church still stands today is remarkable in itself.

Stories of more recent times were told at the second official reopening in the church’s history on Friday. One time was recalled when the lead on the church’s roof was stolen, with police only managing to capture the two Abergavenny men who had ‘borrowed it’ because the moss under their fingernails was so rare that it was only ever found on the roof of St James’.

Friends of the Friendless Churches were able to take an holistic approach to the restorations thanks to a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund in 2023.

Mr Evans said it was a proud day when the charity opened the church’s doors to the public again.

“The charity oversees the redundant churches arrangements in Wales, so we receive grants from the Welsh Government, through Cadw, and the Church in Wales to do that,” he said.

“But this one is actually in the diocese of Hereford, making it one of the parish border anomalies.”

“To achieve this there has been a formidable team of experts engaged. This is a very big project, worth between £600,000 and £700,000 but it will now stand for another 100 years.”