Local heroes raise £1m... to buy back pub!
FOR centuries the Packhorse Inn was the heart and soul of life in South Stoke, drawing locals and ramblers to drink cider in the beer garden or toast their toes by the blazing fire.
Then in 2012 owner Punch Taverns accepted a lucrative offer from property developers to turn it into flats and the pub, which opened its doors in 1498, served its last pint that March.
Yesterday, however, it reopened – after an astonishing campaign by the 460 residents of the village near Bath raised more than £1million to buy it back.
As locals crowded into the bar to celebrate, new landlord James Dixon, 36, said: ‘It’s fantastic. Everyone got behind the project. It’s a pub born from love.’
Villagers used the 2011 Localism Act to buy the Grade II-listed pub when the new owners put it back on the market after planning permission problems. The law grants community groups a period of grace in which to raise the purchase price.
Residents formed a committee, accepting donations from as little as £50 from locals, holding fund-raising events and crowdfunding through the internet.
Volunteers spent an estimated 1,000 hours sorting out the pub’s garden, while some 25 skipfuls of rubbish were removed from inside, the large fireplace was restored and the worn-out interior strengthened. Builders even found a 16th century priest hole.
Yesterday – on the day campaign group Camra revealed that 18 pubs a day were closing across the country – Mr Dixon said: ‘Every pub should be protected from developers. This is a fine example of what happens when a pub is adored. Every pub should be the centre of the community, it’s where friendships are made and developed.’ The first pint was poured by 87-year- old Brian Perkins, who was born at the pub when it was run by his grandmother and had his wedding reception there. He said: ‘It was an honour to be asked.’