Villagers strive to re-open only pub

A pub that has been closed for more than a year could be taken over by the community and re-opened after it was awarded support from a charity.

The Chequers, at Elston, will receive specialist business advice and a £2,500 bursary from More Than A Pub, a programme designed to support community ownership of pubs in England.

The Chequers, on Toad Lane, is believed to be at least 230 years-old and was the only pub in a village of 650 people.

It closed on New Year’s Day last year, despite a campaign to keep it open, and the owners applied to change its use to a house.

A campaign to re-open the pub, Save The Chequers, continued throughout 2017 and the change of use application was withdrawn in November.

The pub was listed for sale in December and, because it was designated as an Asset of Community Value, a six-month moratorium on its sale was triggered.

The Elston Community Pub Ltd has been launched and will receive the bursary from More Than A Pub, which is funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Power to Change and is delivered by the Plunkett Foundation.

The pub will be run as a community benefit society, a type of business registered with the Financial Conduct Authority that is set up to benefit the community and will raise money through a share issue.

A similar proposal is underway in Collingham, where residents have applied for a £2,500 bursary to fund a community pub at the Royal Oak, which has been closed for 18 months.

Study visit to successful co-operative pub

Linda Fitzgerald, secretary of Elston Community Pub and a member of its newly-formed management committee, said the group was delighted to receive the funding.

She said: “The support in the form of professional guidance from Gordon Stewart, our Plunkett adviser, and from Plunkett head office, will be invaluable in helping to steer the management group through the complexities involved in setting up as a community benefit society, and raising funds through a proposed share issue.

“The bursary will help fund legal registration with the Financial Conduct Authority, pay for a professional valuation and assessment of The Chequers, community consultation, marketing and other legal fees.

“We have also been awarded £150 for a study visit to a successful co-operative pub, to learn how to make The Chequers a successful and sustainable community business and social hub for Elston and surrounding villages.”

Members of the Save The Chequers group outlined the new plan at a public meeting in the village hall, attended by around 140 people.

Mr Stewart, of the Plunkett Foundation, described the work the organisation did.

Nicole Hamilton, project manager for More Than A Pub, said: “We are pleased to be able to support Elston Community Pub who are working hard to make sure their community can benefit from everything that having a thriving local pub brings.

“Pubs that are owned and run by the community are so much more than a place to buy a drink — they provide important social spaces and services for local people, and are central to their community’s sense of place and identity.”

A questionnaire will be sent to all households in Elston and nearby villages to gather information about how residents would like to get involved, and about what services and activities people would like The Chequers to offer.

A professional valuation is being carried out, and a full report will be submitted to the steering group for consideration.

A business plan is being drawn up, and subject to the valuer’s report, a community share issue will be launched and additional grant and loan funding will be sought.