A POPULAR cocktail bar in Caerphilly has revealed it will be closing its doors for good later this year. 

Aviary was opened by Calvin Evans-Morgan during the coronavirus pandemic three years ago, and the choice to close down has been described by Mr Evans-Morgan as the "hardest decision I've ever made". 

The bar, located at 42 Cardiff Road, has now been put up for rent with the search for a new tenant already underway. 

In his heartfelt message to the bar's "loyal customers" on Facebook, posted on Wednesday, Mr Evans-Morgan said closing was the "hardest decision" he'd had to make, but one that had been done for the sake of his family. 

He said there were a number of factors involved in the decision, but that the rising costs of hospitality had made it impossible to continue, leaving closure as "the only reasonable outcome". 

He also confirmed that any parties already booked would be honoured, with the staff determined to bring "the very best of Aviary" in the coming months to ensure customers continue to have the time of their lives. 

He said: "This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but unfortunately I will be closing the doors on AVIARY this year. This isn’t a decision that has been taken lightly, but taking many different factors into account, this is the only reasonable outcome.

"My mental health has really suffered throughout the experience along with my physical health, recently being diagnosed with a serious heart condition in which stress could trigger another cardiac episode resulting in serious damage/fatality. This is the best decision for me and for my family.

"Thank you very much to all of our loyal customers, you’ve stuck by us through it all and we couldn’t have gone this far without you! For any business the past three years have been horrific let alone a brand new business in hospitality.

"We have been through COVID, staffing crisis, stock crisis, energy crisis and more but it’s now time to move on. Our monthly outgoings have quadrupled and sadly hospitality has been hit the worst during these difficult times.

"My heart is broken, I’ve put literal blood, sweat and tears into this property and business but it’s time to now concentrate on myself and to start the adoption process with my husband and build on our true dream, a family.

"With the closure it will give me time to concentrate on more important things in life and spend time with the ones I love who have also suffered during my absence."

He paid tribute to the staff who have worked at Aviary over the years, thanking them from the "bottom of my heart" for their hard work and dedication. 

Mr Evans-Morgan said that Aviary had been "something truly special" in the last three years, and confirmed there was no official closing date yet, but that the search for a new tenant was well underway.