Bidding to be the best
SPIRIT and resilience have carried the day for the Auctioneers Arms, a 150-year-old pub drawing its strength from community ownership that now hopes to turn passion into more pounds by upgrading next year.
The cheering prospect comes following tough months for the pub which was reborn in 2018, after being saved from a property developer’s demolition plans.
Rescued by a tenacious campaign staged by volunteer locals in Caverswall, a village set amid the historic Staffordshire Moorlands, their victory led to the transformation of a dying, old-style boozer.
After temporary ring-fencing protected the site as an asset of community value, a £350,000 crowdfunding campaign enabled the property to be purchased and reinvented.
Now owned by 220 shareholders of the Caverswall Community Society, the business has also been backed by socially driven groups such as Power to Change, the Plunkett Foundation and the Big Lottery Fund.
Together the network of expertise enabled the Auctioneers Arms to rise again and become an independent venue where fine local beers, from local brewers such as Peakstones Rock and Titanic, are served along with meals and refreshments in its new Gavel brasserie.
Live entertainment, quiz sessions and special event hosting are also part of a mix that includes free places for community groups, from crafting to learning first aid.
“We knew to succeed there had to be wholesale changes. We overcame negativity, volunteers pitched in every skill they possessed and we grew from strength to strength in the first two years, far outweighing the original business plan,” says Brian Griffiths, a project founder and now its secretary.
“Our aim was to be as varied and interesting as possible, we even have members overseas in California and Australia. Our plucky stand captured their imaginations.”
The business’s community benefit society model allows any profit to be reinvested or put towards helping other local facilities, with any remaining funds paid as a small dividend.
“We ensure we’re sustainable while creating employment and volunteer opportunities. We have a great manager, full-time and parttime bar staff, and work experience and apprenticeship opportunities.
“Customers live locally but also come from outside the area, we’ve worked hard to build a reputation for great service,” Griffiths explains. After such a rousing start, lockdown was a bitter blow, but it has also proved the durability of the community set up, he believes.
“It has been hard, but we know what it is like to overcome challenges. Having achieved so much in a very short time there was no way we were giving up.We threw everything we had at it.
“We furloughed staff, stock had to be removed and we shut down for a while.
“But we reduced costs by 80 per cent, got holidays for some of the business loans and secured grant funding. Managing all the new aspects so we were compliant and could continue our maintenance responsibilities wasn’t easy.
“We could not have done it without the Plunkett Foundation’s guidance.
“They have delivered a masterclass in how to get funding and our £25,000 grant from Power to Change came just at the right moment, getting us back from the brink.”
When Covid struck the business was just getting into profit. It’s now close to pre-pandemic levels and turnover is expected to be £311,000 by 2023.
A plan to open up the share offer will be put to members very soon. Should that be agreed upgrades to the kitchen and washroom will be top of the investment agenda.
According to the Plunkett Foundation, the pandemic has prompted greater interest in community-owned pubs, which have shown to be especially strong.
Last year it received a 53 per cent increase in enquiries and it is currently supporting more than 250 groups with their ownership plans.
“Saving the Auctioneers Arms has been a fantastic thing in many ways,” says Griffiths. “Our village has discovered it’s got more community spirit than it realised.”