Residents urged to unite to save The Reindeer Inn, Hoveringham, the last pub in the village

Villagers are being urged to pull together and save their local pub after it closed down.

The Reindeer Inn, Hoveringham, closed on January 1, and Phil Newton is trying to bring residents together in a bid to raise enough money to buy the pub as a village asset.

Phil said the village always had a close-knit community that came together in a crisis. One example was when the village flooded in 2000 and the whole village pulled together to help the elderly and vulnerable out of their ruined homes. Phil himself delivered milk to a mother and her newborn twins on his tractor.

The pub was taken on by Anita Higgins in the 1990s after the landlord left at short notice, and she has done her best to keep the pub alive for the benefit of the village.

But after the last landlord left the pub, Anita decided to sell up and has agreed that if the villagers can raise the money, she will sell it to them.

Phil called a meeting at the end of March to rally support and said that just hours after the meeting closed, the first donation was pledged and the phone hadn’t stopped ringing ever since.

“People have been ringing up day and night making donations ever since the meeting, it’s quite humbling that people are wanting to donate to our project, it shows that they believe in the village and the pub,” he said.

Anita has agreed to sell the pub for £300,000, and an extra £20,000 will be needed in working capital.

So far, more than £220,000 has been pledged in donations

Phil said: “We are working very hard to reach the sum required so that for the foreseeable future, Hoveringham will have a village pub for all to enjoy. The harsh reality is, if we don’t buy it, we will lose it.

“A village without a pub, in my opinion, is a village without a heart.

“We are hopeful of raising the rest, but the final furlong is the one that matters most and we need everyone’s support.”

The pub will be opening its doors, 11am to 11pm, from tomorrow to Monday, so people can see how valuable the pub is to their village and how much it will be missed.

Phil said: “If anyone does want to invest they will become a shareholder. It’s not a donation, they will be part owner. If you like the idea and want to be involved, we will be pleased to hear from you.”

There will also be business opportunities as the pub will be looking for people to take on the lease.

Anyone interested in becoming a shareholder should call Phil on 07769 733772.