Lampeter is situated in the south-east of Ceredigion in the valley of the River Teifi Regional Growth Area. Lampeter is not only an important university town, it also serves a large geographical area, occupying a rural setting surrounded by gentle hills and valleys. Lampeter is also a gateway to the Cambrian Mountain range, one of the most scenic routes in Wales.

Dating back to prehistoric times, Lampeter is believed to have been a tribal capital during the Iron age through to Roman times. The first bridge across the River Teifi was built in the 12th century, with a motte and bailey castle built on higher ground. An earth mound, which once formed part of the castle, still exists today within the grounds of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). Charters from the Middle Ages established Lampeter as an important market town, providing a vital centre for the exchange of goods and services for regional farms and villages. Today, Lampeter’s dominant areas of employment are education, wholesale, retail and vehicle repairs.

Lampeter continues to be an important market town, with many local businesses providing services to the farming industry and wider agricultural community. Lampeter’s strong connections to the food and wool industries in particular, are promoted by the Welsh Quilt Centre and UWTSD.  Lampeter is a Welsh speaking community with its own Eisteddfod and dedicated Welsh Language newspaper ‘Clonc’ – all of which form a key part of Lampeter’s cultural identity.

An important university town, the UWTSD received its Royal Charter in 1828, and is the oldest Royal Charter in England and Wales, after Oxford and Cambridge Universities. In 2011 HRH The Prince of Wales became its Royal Patron.  2022 marked the bicentenary of higher education in Wales which was celebrated by UWTSD as well as the role which Lampeter’s original St. David’s College played in its history.

As part of ‘A new vision for Lampeter’, UWTSD has recently launched its intentions to create a new food and rural enterprise academy. Based at the university’s campus in Lampeter, the enterprise, known as ‘Canolfan Tir Glas’, will stimulate economic, social and cultural activity. This will subsequently inject new life and energy into the town and its surrounding area. The town has established itself as a Transition Town seeking to react to the challenges of peak oil and the effects of climate change. The aim of this movement is to help Lampeter and the surrounding area become resilient to oil shortages and become a more sustainable place in which to live. Lampeter has already been officially designated a ‘Plastic Free’ town.